"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." (I'm only being noisy and accomplishing nothing.) ... 1 Corinthians 13:1
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Read here long? Then you know Tom and I are happy, experienced train travelers.
But oh dear.
Did you read about the Amtrak train which got stuck in the snow in Oakridge,OR (we actually have old friends there) for 37 hours? Eegads.
Yes, I love train travel, but it's that 'travel' word which is key. Being zipped-up inside a
Really, no. Just a big, fat no way.
Oh, I'd contemplated a winter train vacation before, but whoa Nelly! That dream officially died this week. My introverted, easily-tipped-into-claustrophobia self would rather just plain stay home (forever?) than risk such a plight.
Anyway, that being stuck thing reminded me of how we, as Christians, can be zipping along--zoom--all loving God and learning brand new ways to be and do and discovering Life with Him to be a glorious, rewarding thing and then--crash! We hit a tree on the tracks.
'Trees' of --
Disappointment
Lack
Sickness
Loss
Betrayal
Or a world gone mad in its sins--
And that is when we must make choices. Choices to behave ourselves and react with the very love of God while we wait to understand--or--to sit there confused. Then blame-crazy. Then bitter.
Bitter: harshly reproachful, marked by cynicism, perpetually angry and resentful.
Please, don't choose the bitter route, ok? I'm actually, sadly, watching a few old high school friends (Christians) become bitter before my eyes via Facebook. It's horrifying. The hating of people, the blaming, the concentration upon and reporting of only the bad stuff.
Today if you're on the Bitter Train (or considering stepping onto it), regarding the world's ugliness, especially? Please remember--
"Satan has blinded the minds of people lest they see the glorious light of Jesus." --- (2 Corinthians 4:4)
"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world... " --- (Ephesians 6:12)
Nothing is more powerful than God's love.
God's love should break our hearts for those in Life who do not know Him, for the blind, the wicked, the ones who--without Jesus' light--will wander into a dark hell.
God's love changes things. And may that love change us, first, that we may become better, not bitter. So that we far more clearly view peoples' needs rather than their sins and seek to--with God--open their hearts and eyes.
And so that God's compassion will be the fuel which keeps our train zooming, bursting through any trees set across the tracks meant to slow our progress down to a sad, premature stop.
On this trip to Heaven, may Love lead us down the tracks until we reach the Source of that love waiting, waving to us at the station.
"But the greatest of these is love. ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled." 1 Corinthians 13:13, Luke 14:23
When tempted to be all about criticizing non-Christians' beliefs/behaviors rather than their need of God opening their eyes, I recall this--
"I was trying to clean the fish before I even caught them." ---Joyce Meyer
Seriously, when will we finally stop expecting non-Christians to act/behave as though they are saved? When will we return to old-fashioned soul-winning? To loving them to wholeness--to Jesus?
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Yes, we should fight your own personal fights of faith, but I don't believe in allowing the battle against evil to consume my mind. Instead, I'd rather--
"Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [[a]in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour." ... 1 Peter 5:8
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Here's something I shared at Facebook (don't you love it when people are kind to each other?)
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This was sweet. (And made me thankful we still have two VCR's.The article where I found this said they can only be bought on Ebay now--and I'm assuming yard sales, also. Oh my.)
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"This person sold their VHS player on eBay and got a surprise letter in the mail:" --- Originally shared on Twitter by Yoni@originalYoni
(Click to enlarge) --
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"We are love, we are one, we are how we treat each other when the day is done."
... from the song, Nothing More.
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Oh it has been a winter! Many people have been trapped somewhere, even if it hasn’t been a train! 9 1/2 more inches of snow here yesterday. I haven’t left the house for three days, but the grocery store is calling me today. It’s becoming a necessity. Thank you for your kind answer to me yesterday. It is much the way I feel also.
ReplyDeleteLast night at Bible study we talked about this very subject. So many people say that Christians are not to judge. However the Bible does say very clearly in several places that we are to judge, but only other Christians. How can we judge a world who does not believe in the loving God we do? However, we are to hold each other accountable. That doesn’t mean we have to do it harshly though.
Thank you for another thought-provoking post Debra. I hope you have a lovely weekend and stay warm. It’s going to be cold here again with below zero temperatures. We have a funeral to attend tomorrow and then the youth group at church is having a fundraiser for their mission trip. It’s a chili cook off and that sounds perfect for this kind of weather!
Blessings, Betsy
Good strong thoughts here, not just the problem addressed but good solution too. I ache for people who are bitter, knowing that it only consumes them. We can't always help but we can wrap them in a blanket of prayer and love.
ReplyDeleteI too was horrified seeing news of the snow bound train. You don't think it's possible for anyone in this country to be somewhere that help can't reach them except that Katrina taught us that it can happen.
Our daughter and son-in-law just moved to Montana and we FaceTimed last night with them and they took the phone outside to their deck where a six foot wall of snow surround them. Oh my! Thankfully a snow plow comes by each morning early, at $40 a pass, and makes it possible for them to get to work. Schools don't close, something that seems impossible to us here in Nashville where they close if even a few families in outlying areas still have an inch on their roads.
Yes, it is sad to see friends get on the bitter train; let's agree to stay off of it. FB can be a bitter place so I sometimes post Scripture there. That was awful for the people stuck on the train, and they were not allowed to get off, even though the town was very near.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a thought-provoking post. Hub and I spend a lot of time at home over the winter months, and enjoy watching TV. This past week, when we saw that stopped Amtrak train in Oregon, it made us think. There have been different seasons in our life when we traveled much, and then other times when we were going through circumstances that didn't allow it. As we grow older, it seems we enjoy sitting in our comfy home, with the TV on and online devices in our hands. We don't want to miss anything, but we want to be safe and secure. Yesterday, hubby even mentioned that we need to research ways to watch 3D travel from the comfort of our own home--I'm sure it exists. What's wrong with this picture??? Debra, just as you compared that train to the Christian life, it reminds me that our growing older doesn't mean that God is done using hub and myself. In the past few years, we've transitioned to retirement and enjoy taking it much easier. Nothing wrong with that, but our world is in desperate need of love and help. We've all heard that saying, "Love is a verb." I've tried to stop comparing my life with others' lives, and know that God uses each of us in unique ways. This post reminds me that although there are times in our lives we are supposed to wait, patiently, on the tracks of life, it's imperative that we stay alert and ready to move on, as God leads us. Great post, Debra. Thank you!!
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