Ignorance

I had quite a conversation with a woman in the hair salon the other day.  I do not even know her name - had never even seen her before in my life, actually.  But we were both captive audiences - I was getting my hair cut and she was waiting for me to finish, and so we started chatting.

We quickly got past the usual expected pleasantries.  But then I mentioned to her that I was living in South Korea for a year.  And that's when the questions started.  "Aren't you worried about getting kidnapped?"  "Have you ever had someone try to put drugs in your suitcases?"  "How could you travel to Asia all by yourself?"  "What if North Korea attacks South Korea?"  "How can you eat their food over there?  It's barely even edible!"  "Do they have houses over there?"

And so on it went.  Within 15 minutes, I was more than slightly annoyed.  The fact of the matter is that I was talking with pure ignorance....and honestly, it upset me.  The crime rate in Korea is far lower than in America, North and South Korea are not anywhere near on the brink of war, the majority of the food is wonderful (and all of it is incredibly healthy!), and South Korea is now a first-world nation - one of the largest economies in the world, in fact.  The fact that this woman could be so convinced of so much that was so wrong just blew me away.  It was quite upsetting.

But then my thoughts turned introspective, and I began to think of my own mode of thinking.  So often I am in danger of letting my pride get in my way, of convincing myself that my extensive traveling and other experiences during college and beyond have given me more wisdom, made me less ignorant, than those around me.  I put myself on a pedestal, assuring myself that in my worldly wisdom I'm such a better position than others.

But God's way are not ours.  His definitions of ignorance and wisdom are not the same as mine.  They may very easily, in fact, be the exact opposite of the definitions found in the world.  Something to think about the next time you let your pride convince you of your wisdom.

1 Corinthians 3:18-20

18 Do not deceive yourselves.  If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become "fools" so that you may become wise.  19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight.  As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; 20 and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."

It can always get better

My Bible is old.  The pages are worn and wrinkled, the margins are scribbled in, and the passages are highlighted and underlined.  I've had it for years, and over those years it's seen quite a bit of use.  I've got sermon notes in there, personal Bible studies, cross-references, and anything else that you can think of.  It's become a great quick-stop resource for finding words of comfort - all I have to do is skim the pages, looking for places where I've made notes or other markings, and I'll most likely eventually find words of truth and comfort that apply to my situation.  It's quite convenient, really.

But my Bible has made me lazy.  I no longer open it looking for new truths, for fresh passages, for undiscovered depths of wisdom within its pages.  I open it, certainly....but I have gotten to the point where I simply look for the things that I have already found.

When I came to America for Christmas, however, I left my Bible in Korea.  It was too heavy to bring with me, so I figured my Kindle edition could suffice while I was in the states.  And not having my own Bible has forced me to really read the scriptures, to really look for the nuggets of truth that God has left for me in His word.  I'm no longer able to simply go back to what He's already teach me - I have to learn more, to learn new things.

God is an immeasurable depth of knowledge and understanding.  He can never be fully comprehended - which is why we can (and should!) spend an entire lifetime getting to know Him.  There is always something new to discover, something exciting to learn.  If we stop learning, we are selling ourselves short, cheapening our relationship with the most creative and profound Being in the universe.  No matter how good your relationship with Him has been so far, it can always get better.  Don't sell yourself - or God - short.  It can always get better.

Psalm 105:3-7
3 Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.
5 Remember the wonders He has done,
His miracles, and the judgements He pronounced,
6 You His servants, the descendants of Abraham,
His chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
7 He is the LORD our God;
His judgements are in all the earth.

Our gift to Him

Well, Christmas is over.  The stockings have been delved into, the gifts unwrapped, the dinner devoured, the pictures taken, the games played, and the family and friends visited.  And once again, I can't seem to shake the feeling that there's got to be more to Christmas than this.

Now, you must understand, this is a very drastic statement for me.  I am one of the biggest gift-givers that you will ever meet in your entire life.  I think nothing of spending hundreds of dollars to purchase, or dozens of hours to make, that perfect gift.  To me, nothing is too lavish or extravagant, as long as it doesn't indebt me.  But even for me, Christmas just seems so empty this year.

I see my siblings yelling in excitement over some new gadget, and my mind takes me to the little Moroccan girl who gasps in utter delight when I give her a few pennies of my change.  I hear the pastor describing from the pulpet the happiness of his children at their stacks of gifts, and my thoughts turn to the chorus of gratefulness from the orphans in South Korea when I give them socks and mittens and a couple of snacks for Christmas.  My eyes wander over the mounds and mounds of discarded wrapping paper and excessive decorations, and my brains wanders to the memory of the happiness of the people in Costa Rica who don't exchange any presents at all, and who's homes are decorated by a single strand of old, flickering Christmas lights.

But what can we do to make Christmas seem more "real?"  How can we give it more depth, make it more meaningful than the traditional useless knick-knacks, excessive stress, and empty bank accounts?  Perhaps we would best start by giving a gift to God.  Regardless of whether they truly need it or not, all of us are good at giving people random gifts just to mark the occasion.  But what do you give to the One who literally has everything?  How do you show your love to the Maker of it all?

God doesn't  want our stuff.  He doesn't want our lip-service.  He doesn't really even want our money, although He does ask us to tithe a portion of what we make back to Him.  What He really wants is our love.  Our admiration, adoration, and appreciation.  Our gift to God is how we respond to the gifts that He has given us.  So what is your gift to Him?  How will you respond to His blessings in your life?  Will you squander them on silly, useless trash that will disappear or lose its value within a few weeks or months?  Or will you invest it in people, in God, in something eternal?  The choice is yours.  But choose wisely - whatever your gift is, it will have an eternal impact.

Galatians 2:19-21

19"For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.  20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

The greatest story ever told

Well it's Christmas eve tonight.  The stockings have been hung, the letter and plate of cookies left out for Santa, the presents put under the tree, and the little ones tucked in bed.  It should be the most magical evening of the year.  But this year, for me, my usual excitement and anticipation of the season and the "big day" tomorrow is missing.

I don't know why, but this year everything just seems so...so hollow.  I find myself noticing less and less the stockings hanging from the mantle, and more and more the exhaustion of my parents who have worked so hard to make everything just right.  The beautiful Christmas decorations seem to have faded, and the people spending Christmas alone have become much more apparent.  The presents under the tree are not nearly so important now, but the people who have nothing are infinitely more so. 

Perhaps we have all been focusing on the wrong story.  Most people focus simply on the presents and food and family that everyone associates with Christmas.  If we focus on Jesus at all, it is on the baby Jesus, the little helpless child who was laid in a manger in Bethlehem so many years ago.  But the story that we should be focusing on is not Jesus the baby, but Jesus the conqueror, Jesus the savior, who came to rescue a world sorely in need of His help.

Perhaps if we remembered the right story, the story of Jesus' triumph, we wouldn't focus on the silly things of Christmas, but rather the things that matter.  It is, after all, the greatest story ever told.

John 21:25

 ²⁵ Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Details

I'm back in America, on my "home turf" as it were, for the first time in 6 months.  And it's so very different than Korea.  But it's not the big differences that are really getting to me.  Sure, there are obvious changes, like the fact that people don't all look the same, or that I can understand everything that goes on around me. 

But it's the little things that are really affecting me.  Like eating with a fork instead of chopsticks.  Or saying "hello" instead of "annyeonghaseyo."  Or walking outside in shorts and a t-shirt instead of bundling up in 4 or 5 different layers.  Or knowing where all of the plates and silverware in the kitchen are.  Those are what is really striking me, what is really throwing me for a loop, what is sticking out to me as the most outstanding differences between these so very different cultures.

It seems that God puts more stock into the little details, too.  He does not want grand expressions of sacrifice from us on occasion, while we ignore Him the rest of the time.  What he desires is that we give our lives to Him in the little things - that we give our hearts to Him, not just our actions.  If He has our hearts, if we are willing to let Him handle the little details, you can be sure that the big things will follow. 

Psalm 40:6-8

⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
   but my ears you have opened—
   burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
⁷ Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
   it is written about me in the scroll.
⁸ I desire to do your will, my God;
   your law is within my heart.”

Timing

So often Christians quote verses talking about God's provision, His kindness, His propensity to always act on our behalf.  And it's true, He always DOES act on our behalf.  But what so many Christians so easily forget is that what we THINK is best for us isn't always so.

Timing is so crucial in this life of ours.  It affects things that range on the scale of importance from life-changing, to completely innocuous.  Timing is what may be the deciding factor between if she says yes to that first date or not.  It's timing that determines whether or not he hits a home run or strikes out.  Poor timing can kill, and perfect timing can save a life.

I don't think any of us would really try to argue the importance of timing.  Nor would we try to argue that all times are equal - some times are simply better than others for certain things to happen.  So why is it that, when it comes to God's timing, we always want to rush things?  We wait 5 days for the weekend, 4 years to finish college, and nine months for a baby to be born simply because that's how it has to be.  But when God asks us to wait on His timing we jump the gun and insist on getting things our way, and now.

Perhaps it's because we don't know how long we will have to wait that we are so impatient.  Perhaps it's a product of our "instant gratification" society.  Perhaps it's because, deep down, we honestly feel that we can do God's job better than He can.  Whatever the reason....it's wrong.  Plain and simple.  If you are waiting on God to answer a prayer in your life, I promise you there's a reason.  There are factors in the background that you cannot see, but that will reveal themselves when He is ready.  When He is ready, not when you are.  Do you trust Him enough to wait on His timing?

Isaiah 64:1-5

¹ Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, 
   that the mountains would tremble before you! 
² As when fire sets twigs ablaze 
   and causes water to boil, 
come down to make your name known to your enemies 
   and cause the nations to quake before you! 
³ For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, 
   you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. 
⁴ Since ancient times no one has heard, 
   no ear has perceived, 
no eye has seen any God besides you, 
   who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. 
⁵ You come to the help of those who gladly do right, 
   who remember your ways. 

The icing on the cake

I had a rude awakening today.  Actually, it was more of a pleasant, gentle awakening, but it shook me, nonetheless.  I walked into my house today after a long day at school, and I was greeted by my host father holding traditional clothing for a little girl and boy.  He was just as pleased as he could be, and all I could think of was, "however will I fit this into my suitcase??"

So I spent about thirty minutes trying to cram it into my suitcase, at which point I had to leave the house for a few hours.  When I came back I was greeted by another gift - a traditional Korean hanbok for myself.  And I must admit, my first instinct was to react the same way I had before - with frustration at the last-minute additions to my suitcase that I already knew didn't have even the slightest chance of fitting into my already stuffed luggage. 

But then I caught myself.  What on earth was I thinking??  I have been blessed with a family who really, really cares about me, and bends over backwards to show it.  I have been coveting a hanbok since the day that I came to Korea, but had resigned myself to the fact that I would never own one because of the prohibitory price tag.  And then in one day I became the owner of not 1, not 2, but THREE hanboks!  And I have the nerve to complain that they won't fit in my suitcase??

No matter what is happening, most people could probably find negatives in the situation if they are looking for them.  But that works in reverse, too.  No matter how bleak it may look, there is always a positive side.  And sometimes, like in my case today, the positives far and above outweigh the negatives.  At the end of the day, what it comes down to is that God has redeemed us, He has saved us, He has forgiven us.  That's reason enough to praise the Lord.  But when you realize that every single situation has good things to it, examples of God's enduring love for you...well then, that's just the icing on the cake :).

Psalm 103:1-5

¹ Praise the LORD, my soul;
   all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the LORD, my soul,
   and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
   and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
   and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
   so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.