Today is our last day in Australia. This has been an amazing trip. Good times with family and friends and good times reflecting on my life, vocation and future focus. Wonderful times drinking in scenery I have not seen since I was a child. In the midst I have found myself thinking a lot about God’s view of each of us. This is so important I realize because how we think God sees us effects the ways we look at others.
I was converted as a teenager into a conservative church whose sole concern was “Are you saved?” Believing that Jesus saved us from our sins was our sole focus.
My encounters with those outside the church focused on their brokenness and need for redemption. Ironically this view rarely encouraged me to really find out about the deep concerns and pains that my friends and colleagues grappled with. As long as they believed in Jesus who they were and what they cared about did not seem to matter.
Today I have fewer questions for my friends about their salvation and need for redemption and more about who they are and what their hopes and fears for the future are. From my perspective some are further from God today then they were forty years ago, Yet I have learned to trust that God is at work in their lives even though I don’t always recognize what God is doing.
One of the important lessons I have learned in the last few years is that we are all made in the image of God. Yes that image is distorted by our brokenness but it is still there. We glimpse it when strangers reach out as neighbours travelling across the globe to help others whose livelihoods are destroyed by earthquakes and famines. We see in when firefighters put their lives at risk to save those trapped in burning buildings. We see it when people’s hearts ache for the abandoned, the oppressed and the diseased even when from our perspective they are far from the saving grace of Christ.
As I thought about this today I could not help but think of the rich young ruler who asked Jesus “What must I do to inherit eternal life” Jesus answers:
You know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’ And the young tells him ‘“I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
The account in Mark’s gospel then adds a line I must confess I have not really noticed before.
Looking at the young man Jesus had genuine love for him. (Mark 10:17-31)
Jesus love for this man was not based on the man’s response to his message. In fact as we read further in the story it looks as though the man does not follow Jesus because of his wealth. But Jesus loves him anyway. Perhaps it is because of the sincerity of his heart. Perhaps because as he looks at this man Jesus sees the image of God shining through. We do not really know what sparks Jesus loving response. All I know today is that I too want to learn to love others as Jesus did. As my friends reach out and help others in need yet seem to have turned away from the God of their salvation I admire and affirm what they do. As they grapple with the loss of loved ones and the struggles of life seeking to help children and friends, I am proud of them. As they work to come to terms with the struggles of their lives I want to be there for them, not condemning them because they don’t believe as I do.
My question has become – “Where do I see the image of God in this person and what can I do to encourage, nurture and grow that image?”
.I have just been chatting to my friends and have spent almost an hour looking for this phenomenal 1920s video about the forgotten nomadic people of Iran – must be exactly as they were thousands of years ago, probably even Abraham travelled like this. This is well worth a watch:
Trailer on YouTube
Or you can watch the entire documentary on line here:
http://www.veoh.com/watch/v19992694eNTTAYQS
One of the delights of international travel is the opportunity to read books that otherwise would not come my way. Back from the Brink by Peter Andrews is one such book. He believes that to save the land we need to return the landscape to its original systems. Andrews has developed technique called Natural Sequence Farming which:
offers a low-cost, widely applicable method of reducing drought severity and boosting productivity on Australia’s farms and landscapes. The technique is based on ecological principles, low input requirements and natural cycling of water and nutrients to make the land more resilient.
This book holds some fascinating insights which are applicable for farmers and gardeners wherever we are in the world. I am itching to try some of his suggestions when I get back to Seattle. The book is unfortunately out of print but I am sure there are a number of second hand copies around for the interested.
Here at Mustard Seed Associates we are starting to get ready for Lent and we hope that you will join us. We are sending out the first copies of A Journey Into Wholeness this week but the book will still be available at the prepublication price until February 5th. As you know we hope that you will join us not just in reading the book each day but in committing to the practices and activities suggested. You can read more about that here.
For those who love a visual focus to assist their practices, we have also produced a new set of prayer cards to encourage us through the season. And for those who live in the Seattle area we have two upcoming events to encourage and prepare us for the season – An Invitation to Simplicity with Mark Scandrette February 13th co-hosted by The Overflow Project, and our annual preLent retreat March 1st at the Mustard Seed House. We do hope that you can join us for this important season which prepares us for the celebration of Easter, the pivotal event around which our faith revolves.
I posted this prayer a couple of days ago on the Light for the Journey Facebook page. Because of its popularity I thought I would post it here too so that all of you can enjoy it as well.
Lord Jesus Christ
We live in hope
That the brokenness of our souls
Is being transformed.
Greed into generosity,
Self-fulfillment into mutual care,
Hate into compassion,
Fear into love.
Lord Jesus Christ
We live in hope
That the distortion of relationships
Is being redeemed.
Oppression into freedom,
Exploitation into justice,
War into peace.
Lord Jesus Christ
We live in hope,
That the pollution of our planet
Is being restored.
Smog filled air made clean,
Denuded forests replanted,
Endangered species protected.
Lord Jesus Christ
We live in hope
All that is broken
All that is distorted
All that is polluted
will be made new.
The development of a sense of call and the setting of goals as I have talked about over the last couple of weeks can sound like a lot of hard work. This sounds like work that is confining and restricting to many people who feel that freedom means having no restrictions, no commitments that call us into tomorrow, no boundaries that restrict how we spend the present day.
In fact I have found it to be the exact opposite. When we set boundaries, we find the freedom of saying no to good ideas that are not part of God’s call on our life. When we know our limitations, we learn to live more fully in the present moment, confident that we can trust God for each step of our journey.
Let me explain. Off the east coast of England, is the island of Lindisfarne, where there was once a thriving community of Celtic monks. To get to the island one must cross a causeway which is only navigable at low tide. Markers line the causeway to warn travellers of the depth of the water, letting them know whether or not it is safe to travel.
That is what I think the setting of goals should be like. Our goals are not hoped for achievements that can place heavy burdens on our backs when we don’t accomplish then in the expected time or way. Goals are markers meant to tell us that we are still on the right path and the way ahead is still safe to travel.
Part of what this type of process encourages is a more leisurely way of life. When the causeway is covered we stop. We wait, we pause and perhaps we set new goals.
As Michael Casey says in Strangers to the City:
Leisure is not idleness or pursuit of recreational activities. It is above all being attentive to the present moment, open to all its implications, living it to the full. (28).
Casey goes on to explain:
Attentiveness is acquired by most people through a habit of reflectiveness – learning to step back from experience to ponder its meaning. (31).
I have thought a lot about this over the last week. Living into our sense of call, and establishing clear goals for every area of our life, requires times of attentive reflection. Relaxing into each moment and living fully into all it has to offer is only really possible when we are confident of the destination towards which we are travelling.
These kinds of goals liberate us because they give us room to breathe. They give us time for ourselves, for each other, and for god. They give us time to encourage, to support, to step back and discern. They give us time to evaluate the effectiveness of our actions and the realism of our goals.
Perhaps we need to rethink how we live. Perhaps we need to remind ourselves of who God calls us to be and what God calls us to do. Perhaps God is guiding us in new ways. God wants to free all of us from the tyranny of the urgent and the burden of busyness. Effective goals and a sense of call help us to do just that.
This post is the last in a series on Christian call and goal setting
Check out the other posts in this series:
Finding God’s Purpose without Getting Burned Out
Find Your Purpose – An Active Listening Process
When You Feel Called Set Some Goals
You might also like to check out
Icon of Christ
In my last post in this series on calling and purpose, I talked about an active listening process which I have used to help develop a sense of kingdom focused purpose for my life. However I realize that using a process like this is only effective if we take the next step and use our calling statement as a basis for developing goals in every area of life. Our purpose is not to feel good about who we are but to provide foundations for the transformation of our lives.
However we do need to be realistic as we set goals. So often I find that people set goals in life and ministry as though they are isolated individuals with no boundaries on what they do. Sometimes their goals are very self serving. Remember God’s call is to be other centred not self centred.
Another trap in setting goals is try to bite off more than we can chew. Setting small incremental goals that we revisit frequently to readjust and renew is far better than trying to take mammoth impossible steps. So often we start by feeling we want to save the world and jump into impossible situations that set us up for failure.
So before you set goals for you life consider the boundaries God has placed on you life. Be realistic about responsibilities to your family, church & community and the limitations these place on your possible responses. Families and faith communities matter and should always be taken into consideration when we make decisions about the future.
Be realistic about restrictions placed by health, disability, and emotional problems you may struggle with. When I developed chronic fatigue syndrome 20 years ago, I needed to set new limits for myself in terms of afternoon siestas, diet and exercise. Ignoring these limitations meant I became ill again. Accepting my limits led me into new and exciting opportunities for my life.
Be realistic about financial consideration like school debts, credit card bills and other financial obligations. God’s call on our lives does mean we can run away from our financial irresponsibility to family, governments or to institutions.
Be realistic about your own talents and resources and the most effective way to use these. Perhaps your first step will be to get additional education which will equip you to more effectively accomplish what God has placed on your heart.
I suggest that you write down the boundaries that will constrain how your sense of calling can be fulfilled at your present stage of life and then find a mentor to share these with. Wise counselors and help us determine realistic limits and boundaries these set on your life in terms of relocation or vocation. Share your sense of calling with them and work together to establish goals that can help you effectively journey into God’s call on your life. Enlist their help in developing daily & weekly time schedule to help discipline your use of time within the boundaries and limitations you face.
Finally, remember that God calls us to abundant life not to burnt out or stressed out living. God is not a hard task master. Those rhythms that provide balance between community and solitude, work and rest, secular and spirituality should be reflected in the goals we set. So often we concentrate on ministry but need to take just as much time to set goals for relationships, celebration, relaxation & rest.
When I first started taking regular prayer retreats to refocus my life I sat down and worked out a list of areas in which I felt I needed to set goals regularly. You might find this list helpful for you too.
SPIRITUAL LIFE
- Personal prayer, meditation & Bible study
- times for spiritual refreshment, retreat & renewal
- Christian fellowship & small group involvement
- evaluate the daily, weekly and yearly rituals that give your life a spiritual rhythm
- develop a liturgy for all of life
VOCATION AND CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
- Evaluate involvement in Christian ministry either as a full-time vocation or in your free time
- Evaluate your church and local mission involvement
- Evaluate involvement in global mission & world need
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
- Evaluate work responsibilities – “I love my work” No excuse for ignoring other commitments
- learn to concentrate on God’s essentials
- Realistically evaluate household responsibilities & chores
- Take note of children’s school & extracurricular activities
IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS
- Marriage & family
- Friendships – both Christian & non-Christian
- Community involvement & neighbours
HOSPITALITY AND CELEBRATION
- Celebrate events on Christian calendar
- celebrate significant “rites of passage” and events of the past
- invent new Christian celebrations
- entertain friends & strangers
PHYSICAL DISCIPLINES
- Diet & state of health
- Exercise routine – set goals consistent with your physical health
REST AND RELAXATION
- Sabbath observance
- days off & vacation
- sleep
CREATIVITY
- involvement in arts & music
- hobbies & other creative interests
FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP & — USE OF GOD’S RESOURCES
- consumerism & lifestyle level – how much is enough
- Care & stewardship of God’s creation
- Generosity & Christian giving & sharing
Check out the other posts in this series:
Finding God’s Purpose without Getting Burned Out
Find Your Purpose – An Active Listening Process
You might also like to check out
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