Quote of the Week

This weeks quote: "This too shall pass."

From the perspective of over half a century, I have learned a valuable lesson - "this too shall pass." I have been on the mountain tops and in the valleys and many places in between. As stated in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Times of grief have transitioned to joy, times of want to plenty, times in the desert to an oasis and then the cycle starts over again. Each has been a learning experience that has prepared me for the next round, but all have passed.

I have learned what Paul says in Philippians 4::6-7 is true, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Now when the valleys come, I turn them over to God and look forward to see how He will bring me back to the summit - and He always does.

I have learned to rest in Matthew 6:31-34, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Much of what we worry about, if we trust in the Lord, never comes to pass and we've wasted time, energy and our health for nothing. I have learned that every time on the mountain top passes and every time in the valley passes, but this is good since without the valleys we wouldn't appreciate the mountain tops. So the next time you're in a valley, remember, "this too shall pass."

Hat tip to Nancy.

Faith is at Its Best When It Quits Working

The recent revelation of Mother Theresa's crisis of faith has left far too many confused as to what constitutes real faith. Mother Theresa had mountainous doubts. As she labored among the poor and castaways of society she saw more misery than miracles. Yet she labored on.

We live in a results oriented world, believing that our efforts are worth undertaking only when we see viable empirical evidence. We step back from our endeavors if they fail to give us instant results. We bail out of marriages when our efforts fail to change our partners in what we measure as a reasonable amount of time. We quit our jobs when we hit a stream of unfulfillment. We discontinue pursuing morally correct actions when we don't get the results we expected. I describe this as an absence of faith in our actions of faith. It sounds oxymoronic, but it is the malady of our time.

Christians are called to live obediently and do good words simply because it's the right thing to do. We are to love our children even when they disappoint us. We continue serving our spouses when their annoying habits drive us up the virtual wall. We show up for work because it is the avenue through which our bills are paid, our children are put through college and the two weeks at the beach once per year are made possible.

Every Christian will eventually walk through the darkness of the soul. Giving up on God is not an option during those times. Plodding through these seasons of doubt is true faith. Trusting that God is there when there seems to be no results is what the book of Job is all about. There should be no surprise when a believer is tempted to question his/her faith. As a matter of fact, the longer we question our faith continuing to live in obedience, the greater the case can be made that our faith is more real than when everything seems to be "working."

Personally, I wouldn't want to go though an extended walk in the "valley of the shadow of death." But even then the 23rd Psalm reminds us that God is there. I have had my times of doubting aspects of faith. Thank God I have survived. During those times I have learned that faith is at its best when it quits working.

Genetically Predisposed to Believe in God?

Scientists are continually studying the brain in an attempt to find out what makes us tick. In this article you will find the debate between Darwinists and other scientists trying to ascertain as to why religious behavior spans cultures and peoples. One scientist describes the phenomenon this way:

“ . . . these brain scans may provide proof that our brains are built to believe in God. He says there may be universal features of the human mind that actually make it easier for us to believe in a higher power.”

Darwinists insist that it is evolutionary and culturally adaptive behavior. It always amazes me how two people can have the same facts and draw completely different conclusions.

Do you recall having religious thoughts before being aware that God existed? Even before you were introduced to faith and religion, did you think you had innate, independent thoughts about God?