Tarsiers are said be gentle creatures. They live in the remotest corners of the forest. And it is said that when they are stressed, such as being terribly mishandled by uninformed tourists, they would rather kill themselves by banging their head on a branch.
Dolphins are the same. I heard someone say at church a few weeks ago that a dolphin's smile are nature's greatest deception. Because despite their cheerful and playful appearance. They can be so stressed that they can just choose to hold their breath and drown themselves.
Why am I saying this? Forgive my morbid illustrations.
I've grown to be a gentle, quiet person. A lifestyle I chose for myself. And lately I've been stressed by too much disruption around me. But not to the point of inflicting myself like the tarsier or the dolphin. I drown myself in music and His Word.
Like today I kept on meditating on Philippians 4 about how Paul has learned to be content in any circumstances. We often quote these popular verses. But sometimes it is out of context. We think Paul means we must learn to be content as if contentment can be attained if I thought about it hard enough. He says, "I have learned to be content ... in lack and in abundance ... because I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Understanding that it is through Christ that gives us strength to endure, to thrive, in whatever circumstance life throws at us, lifts a lot of pressure from us trying to not miss the line.
And we often fall to the idea that we can be good enough. We would try hard enough to merit God's approval. I've tried that recently, only to find myself crashing down by the end of the day like a house of cards. I asked, "God, why am I like that?" I've made a pretty sand castle, and at the end of the day it's I myself who destroy it. Then, I am reminded by the Paul's writing saying,
I have discovered this principle of life--that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord ... So there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. / Romans 7:21-8:2
Once more I am reminded that I am a sinner in need of a Savior, a saint only because of God's grace. And we sometimes hallucinate like we deserved to be rewarded because of our works.
I was reading Max Lucado's Cast of Characters. I've always loved the story of the sinful woman with the perfume in the alabaster jar, how she honored Jesus at Simon's banquet. Lucado has retold the story beautifully. "She has now water, but she has tears. She has no towel, but she has her hair ..." and by the end Jesus tells Simon about her, "I tell you, her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has sown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love." (Luke 7, NLT). Far be it for me that I would substitute my works and accomplishments and draw away from the grace of God that alone makes earthly clays into vessels of His glory!
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