Path of Least Resistance

I've always had a liking for water. I remember being about five years old and Mom patiently taking me to the YMCA pool for swim lessons. At first it was a bit daunting... what with the seven year olds jumping in and acting like BKIP ("Big Kids In Pool"). I will admit being just a little intimidated. Finally the instructor (I remember she had a confident cuteness about her, a reassuring smile and white nose-coat under Ray Bans -- very cool, even to a five year old) told me to "jump in." Shoot... these were the 60's and PTSD was but a clinical notion. So... being ever so trusting and jello in the awaiting arms of "cuteness" personified... I jumped! "Nirvana," I thought, splashing into the brisk heavily chlorinated abyss (Okay, at five I didn't exactly have the concept of Nirvana under me, but I knew goodness nonetheless). I was in! Now what?

That is the last I remember, really.

No, I don't think I passed out or anything nearly that dramatic. I believe I simply don't need to remember anything beyond that moment. There was likely no great trauma beyond that day because water and I have been friends ever since. Recollection suggests early on I wasn't the strongest swimmer. Strength in swimming came over time. Admittedly, I was a PSC ("Pool Side Clinger") for a couple more years, until I finally broke free and headed out into the open waters of the deep end. Years later, surfing, water skiing, snorkeling, skin diving, a few cliff dives here and there and epic whitewater rafting trips all became memorable aquatic experiences because someone I ultimately trusted told me to "jump." Thank you, Ms. Nose-Coat, wherever you are!

Water fascinates me. Earth's greatest solvent, a natural lubricant, a cleanser and nutritionally good for you... good old H2O is quite a package all rolled into one! Another interesting thing about water is, all things being equal, it tends toward the path of least resistance. If you're not sure about this, knock over a glass on your breakfast table this morning and then try to catch up with it up from the "high side" of the table. No brainer... the water wins every time. Go to your nearest nature preserve and look for erosion patterns... you will observe the water always finds the quickest and easiest way down hill.

In many ways, I'm not only a lover of water, but I'm alot like water. In addition to being biologically composed of it to the measure of something like 60% , I tend to act alot like it as well. Yes, to admit it is a little difficult, but I tend toward the path of least resistance.

I've read of some water adventures much better than mine. When Jesus invites Peter to take a little stroll with Him walking on the water, Peter is good to go until he allows fear to overcome his faith. Jesus' reply is simple and straight to the point, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

I'd suggest Peter doubted because he started taking the path of least resistance. He started acting like water instead of walking on it! Before pointing fingers of blame, I'd best be reaching for a hand back into the boat myself.

Pursuit of God is no easy thing. We "jump in" at the urgent call of someone we trust, exercising whatever measure of faith is given us in the moment, but none too certain how the water is going to be. Finding the water fine, we locate our comfort level and tread for a while. But deep pursuit of God looms out there... as if calling to us... deep to deep...enticing us to let go of the edge and dive on down there, deeper still deeper.

Truth is, that's not easy. True pursuit of an ever deepening relationship with God is found on a path of increasing resistance, not the least resistance. The deeper I desire to go, the more I have to resist behaving like water and take the easy way down. I have to learn deep faith runs "up hill" and defies the laws of my natural self.

How far would Peter have gone, if he had the faith to keep walking? How far might we go, if we have the faith to really pursue God? Like you, I'm trying to find a new path... If Jesus invites a follower to walk on the water, I'm guessing... if I have faith and avoid doubt... this spiritual body of water just might find himself flowing up hill and that might be the most exciting aquatic adventure of all!

Imitations

I really admire and am drawn to authenticity, yet even as I write those words I feel a sense of inditement on myself. Like the apostle Paul, am I really the man I want to be or am I merely more the man I'm trying not to be? Paul shares his struggle with the authentic self in Romans 7, I share mine here.

If find authenticity is a rather illusive thing. For years I've given much effort at being what some would term a "transparent" individual. I've tried to live a "no hold barred" approach to being honest about who I am with other people. In most relationships that has proven to be helpful, but perhaps not in all. Sometimes people have difficulty with brutal honesty because it requires as much on the receiving end as it does on the part of the teller. There is a significant level of investment required on the part of any two parties willing to go deep and that makes me wonder what the limits of human "honesty" really are. Can we ever be truly honest with another person? Letting them see not only the "facts" of our reality, but also the "motive." That is exceedingly difficult. Quite frankly, as much as I'd like to think I'm good at it, I'm not! Don't know that I ever will be.

This brings me to the deepest of all relationships I've found -- namely the one with God the Father through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Who else or what else should I desire than Him? As Creator (and I as created), there is no more intimate and revealing relationship available to me or to the rest of humanity. And perhaps this is why the pursuit of Him is illusive and, honestly, difficult at times .

He already knows the real me. Not the "imitation" me or the me I want to be. God is able to discern between the me I want to be and the me I really am. He knows my name. He knows my every thought. He knows my motive even when I don't. Relationship with Him takes intimacy to far deeper levels that I can pursue elsewhere.

Here is what is amazing for me... He knows all that stuff and He still pursues me. He is a Great Pursuer... and part of what makes Him so good at the pursuit is that He waits for my lead. He holds out on me a little bit, waiting to see how badly, how desperately, how intimately I'm willing to acknowledge His awareness of me. God can afford me the most amazing relationship of all... but He lets me come to Him first. James 4:8 mentions this reality.

So, why do I keep relating to God as if He were one of my earthly relationships? Why do I dance around Him and tend to only want to offer up in conversations the things that I don't think are all that "bad" and make myself look "acceptable" in His presence? That's really a bit silly, isn't it?

Henri Nouwen once asked of himself why God wasn't his only relationship? I'm finding that is a really good question! That would not imply we forsake all earthly relationships, but shouldn't all our earthly relationships ultimately begin and end in our relationship with the Divine? Perhaps we would be truly more "authentic" if such were the case.

The deeper my relationship becomes with Creator, perhaps the more meaningful my relationship with others will become. I will be less concerned with "acceptable authenticity" and simply be more of the man God the Father loves, Jesus saves and the Holy Spirit counsels.

Lord, please lead me to a deeper friendship with you so that I, in turn, may be a better friend to others.

A New Angle on Monday...

The chocolate Easter Bunny's ears have long since been chewed off! The smell of fresh pealed hard boiled eggs has given way to a little bit of egg salad in the fridge that might make one more sandwich for lunch tomorrow. All the earthly vestiges of Easter 2006 are fading away, and it's only Monday! All the hype is gone, now what?

It occurs to me, especially this Easter, that it takes faith to believe Jesus Christ lived and died. Like many famous personalities of history whom we have not seen for ourselves, we choose to trust the witness of others. But to believe Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, this takes even more faith as we must trust the witness of a relative few of an event that has never been duplicated, resurrection from the dead!!! After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to some 500 people and then ascended into heaven. To believe in the resurrection, takes faith, considerable faith indeed!

While the number of witnesses to the physical resurrection of Christ remains constant, as history continues on, the number of witnesses to the power of the resurrection of Jesus grows and grows. Apostle Paul stated in Philippians 3:10, I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. Paul knew there was power in Christ rising from the dead, for ALL generations of people.

If it was only Friday before the resurrection and Sunday never came, then those of us seeking to personally know Jesus would never know Him because all that is left to know is someone who lived and then just simply died. But SUNDAY CAME, and because it did, we can all know Christ personally because He still LIVES! As He lives, so we live.

If its only Friday before the resurrection and Sunday never came, then those of us longing for a life-power beyond this world will only be able to rely on material and temporal things devoid of any real and significant eternal spiritual power. But SUNDAY CAME, and because it did, we realize our power is not in the flesh, but in the spiritual forces of Light which is able to withstand all amounts of darkness and trouble.

If its only Friday before the resurrection and if Sunday never came, then there is no real reason to bother with Sunday, any Sunday, for that matter. If its Friday before the resurrection and Sunday never came, then the most important Sunday of them all, never came and never does come, and our faith in a resurrected Christ is totally in vain. I choose to believe, by faith, that the Sunday after that Good Friday did come and every Sunday thereafter keeps on coming as long as the Lord of "time" continues to give us "time."

So, this brings me to Monday, especially this Monday -- the one following Easter. What difference does "Sunday" make once Monday rolls around? I got to thinking about those disciples, the first ones -- the first witnesses of the those 500 -- who saw Jesus for the first time. What an amazing moment that must have been for them.

You'd expect exhilaration, jubilant praise and awe, wouldn't you? But the Gospel of Luke suggests just the opposite saying, "they were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost" (Luke 24:36). Yeah, not the reaction I'd like to think I'd have seeing my formerly crucified and buried Lord standing in the room with me. But... there you have it! I'm not much different and when you're honest with yourself, neither are you!

When you really think about it, our Lord is as present with us as He was with them. Oh, I realize you can't "see" Him, but remember what Jesus told Thomas (doubting Thomas, I suppose) about the whole "seeing" thing... "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). So, living as those who are "blessed" is a powerful proclamation of faith. Do you really believe in a resurrected Jesus?

If you do, then let's consider Monday... yes, it is the Monday after the resurrection celebration (Easter) and I've got to know...what are you afraid of in your life today? What circumstances are really demanding you to trust? What things look so doubtful, you're not sure how you are going to come through them? They look bigger in "real life" don't they?

On Monday, it is a fair question to ask, "What are you looking at?" Maybe better stated as "Who are you looking toward?" Jesus told those disciples right before the first Monday following the resurrection to "look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have" (Luke 24:39). They still didn't believe. Belief is tough, even when you can see with your own eyes!

We are highly favored on Monday... because it is the day after the day we always celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Each Monday should be special in our spiritual journey... it is the "day after" the most powerful day in all of history -- Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.

On Mondays, you don't have to "see" the Lord to believe. More blessed are you, because you choose to believe, though you've not seen. The same Presence with those disciples that first Monday following Easter, is with us today. You don't have to see to trust... just believe and leave your troubles and your doubts behind. Jesus, the Risen Savior, has it in control. See?

Mourning Doves

Their arrival came without fanfare or demand for attention. Tuesday morning, finishing my morning meditations and prayers, two Mourning Doves sharing the ledge just outside my office window captured my eye. There is something contenting about the two, so I allow my attention to move in their direction. Initially I plan to only watch for a moment but so captivated by their presence am I, a little research has me wondering.

The Mourning Dove is the most plentiful game bird in all of North America. Typically nesting in trees or bushes, they will produce two eggs per clutch. In a given year, a breeding pair can produce as many as 6 clutches of offspring. That's 12 kiddos roughly the same age when college rolls around. Now we know that's expensive!

Tuesday must be an exciting day for the pair. No doubt they've been searching and it appears as though they have finally found their spot. It seems a reasonable choice for some who would just as soon not wind up on a sportsman's dinner plate. I find it a wise choice situated on the third floor window ledge of an impressively large church campus. There is a wonderful view of downtown Dallas to the West and the plain leading toward Plano to the east. The skyline can be quite spectacular from here on a clear day.

Not much nesting activity occurs today, but who can blame them? She walks from one side of the ledge to the other, settling down facing one direction and then turning and settling down to face the other. It occurs to me she's probably thinking, "Do I want the evening sun to my back as I'm feeding the kids or do I want to face it? Hmmm which would be best?" These aren't easy decisions for a mother-to-be, you know. It's tough to decide!

The two do a little bird "kissing," I assume to celebrate the moment. Sensitivity prevails as I'm careful not to look for very long, thinking the two may need their privacy. Later, it seems she's settled on the location and in a while he's off, to retrieve the first building supplies for their new digs.

Typically building their nests of twigs, grass cuttings and pine boughs, he is a reliable provider as delivering the first twig intended to be the footer for the foundation of this, their new home. Curiously, on careful approach to the ledge, he lands in front of his beloved. Still grasping the twig in his beak, he gently places the twig on his lady's back. A nesting behavior of this species, she then steadily reaches back with her beak and begins to place the twig to begin the nest. Construction has begun!

Wednesday morning finds me expecting to see considerable progress but much to my surprise, the two are nowhere to be found. Have they abandoned this location for another? Quickly realizing what may have happened, as you know funding for a first time home buyer can sometimes be so sketchy, I assume they've fallen out of escrow and have simply moved on. No more sooner as I can get back to work, the two hurriedly arrive with a sense of urgency. Ah, the last minute financing has come through after all. Congratulations to the Dove family on your new home!

Construction always has its burdens, and apparently nest building is no exception. He flies off to retrieve another twig, she places it here and then places it there and then moves it back to where she placed it initially. A woman's perrogative, I have come to understand. Suddenly, without explanation, I watch as she pitches the twig to the roofline some 20 feet below my office window. Again, a woman's perrogative to make the nest just as it should be. Upon further examination, I see dozens and dozens of twig, grasses and boughs on the landing below us. "What is she doing?" I think to myself. If this routine continues throughout the day Wednesday, there will be no significant progress. And, such is the case.

What was first intended to be contemplative and meditative for me, is turning into shear frustration and anxiety as Wednesday draws to a close. It is now Thursday morning, and there is no observable progress on our nest. Time and time again I see him deliver the supplies only to have her knock them back off the ledge. Are we dealing with some level of mental illness here? Is there a problem she hasn't shared with us? I say in a voice just low enough that my coworkers can't hear and won't think me to be the bird brain they already suspect I am, "Hey girl, what do you think you're doing? We've got a nest to build here and you're not making matters easy! He's knocking himself out going back and forth and what have we got to show for it?" Finally I'm compelled, if there was just some way I could get out there on that ledge I'd build the nest for the two of them myself! This frustration is killing me!

Just then it strikes me what is the source of my frustration. In an instant, I realize I'm guilty of this very same craziness. I go about building my "nest" -- doing my work -- and so much of the time I find myself inadvertently (and perhaps even intentionally) knocking the twigs off the ledge! Oh, from one vantage point it appears I'm working diligently to be everything I'm supposed to be in God's creation, but am I really getting the job done? Am I positioned appropriately, but just frustrating the Creative intent for which I have been designed?

Curiously, I wonder if the One who watches me as intently as I watch the Dove couple is as frustrated as I'm becoming with my fowl friends? The old saying goes, "birds of a feather flock together." This may indeed be true. Perhaps it is why I'm so draw to this couple pre-parental birds. Perhaps what was intended to be a point of contemplation, meditation and prayer has met its fruition. Mr. and Mrs. Dove have taught me one thing, for sure. I've got to get my act together and quit knocking twigs off the ledge! And so should they. After all, we have a nest to build!

On Finding God...

For over 40 years, I have had an awareness of God. Correlate to what Jesus said about "becoming like little children" I wonder if our best perceptions of God are when we are small, innocent and naive? For even as we grow older, we project more and more of either ourself, our selfish interests or personal experiences on who God may really be.

God is the greatest mystery any human may pursue. The more I think I "learn" about God, the more I realize just how little I really understand. At best, most people only grasp at "pieces" of God... Sometimes in ignorant bliss, sometimes with calculated intention. The latter appear to do so like selective shoppers in a spiritual supermarket. Finding a bargain in the salvation aisle, they'll scoop up a few bags of majestic love, amazing grace and matchless mercy. But when they see the price of items like His righteous anger, just wrath and perfect judgment, they may choose to simply go without for a while, hoping the prices will drop in the future. But God is so much bigger than being restricted to selective options buying. If we choose to find God, we must be prepared to invest in the whole storehouse of His Being. Buying into the whole of God requires significant adjustments to our "need to know" mentalities.

While there is certain virtue in being "childlike" before God, it appears many spiritually intended folks never allow their concept of God to mature much beyond childish conceptualizations. J.B. Phillips, an Anglican writer from the mid-20th century wrote to this point. In his book, Your God Is Too Small, he suggests that most adults cling to "the conception of God that exists in the mind of a child of Sunday-school age." Phillips observations are inditing even to this day.

What is your present image of God? Some perceive God as a loving and caring father figure, always supportive, benevolent and always "there" for you. Fortunately for those, their experiences with "earthly father" strongly mirror those concepts of Heavenly Father. But for others, those whose earthly father was absentee during the formative years of life, or worse yet abusive, are hard-pressed to find such a figure even amid the divine attributes ascribed publically to God the Father. Some fathers are only and always abusive, dangerous and to be earnestly avoided. What does one do when earthly experience challenges the veracity of Heavenly Father?

How do we "find" an accurate understanding? Is God a "spiritual beat cop" ready to punish the slightest infraction of the law? Is God a surrogate or substitutionary parent intent on being everything our earthly parents were not? Is God that "Old Man in the sky" that satirists seek to shamelessly lampoon? Who is God and how may we find Him?

Perhaps we begin by opening the view of our own lens. Many well intended seekers of the Divine settled on a particular view of God some years ago and, frankly, just stayed there. Peacefully, quietly, comfortably content in letting God remain the God of their childhood Bible class. God became "everything we ever needed Him to be" and we simply ceased to venture any further into the mysterious Unknown.

If God is anything, He is "mysterious." Not to be formulated, calculated or measured. He is the only true God... of wonder, beyond all comprehension... fully awesome... ceaselessly spiritually intoxicating. If God is anything, He is to be experienced and encountered. If we are to "find" God, we will have to allow our mourings to be cut, letting go of all the "familiar" conceptualizations we've used to corral God and let Him reveal Himself to us as we move at His mercy and grace. On our part, we're going to have to quit answering for God and begin listening to Him speak. We are going to have to allow our view of God to be determined by His revelation, rather than merely by what we think we know about Him.

As one who had his previous "mourings" cut, a famous Christian orator knew of which we speak when he said, "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being..." (Acts. 17:26-28)

God is to be found. But to do so, we must be willing to let go of what we have "known" and allow the mystery of the Divine, to once again carry us away as in the mind of a child... but with the heart of a mature seeker, not a picky shopper. Our God is to be found, He awaits us reaching...