He Tangata

There are famous works of art, ancient architecture and thriving metropolises. There are libraries of words and vaults of money. There are tranquil islands of bliss, crowded shanty towns and vast oceans of water. But an old Moari proverb asks ko te mea ote ao he tangata? which means What is the most important thing in the world? Some may think the answer is in creativity, leadership, power or money, but the New Zealand Maori’s answer is simply he tangata he tangata he tangata - It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.

People we can go to for advice, ask for help or information. People who inspire us and draw out our personalities or creativity. People who are rebels or wild explorers and challenge us to overcome fear and delve into adventure. People who lead. People who follow. People that are silent sages and those who verberate voice or song. People to share stories, time and wisdom. People to sit at bedsides for final goodbyes. People to laugh with, get silly and travel with. People we look forward to spending time with and those we avoid. People who enrich our character, to bounce ideas off of and to just do life with.

Jesus understood people. He gathered his disciples together - twelve of them - because he knew that after He left, they would need each other. Jesus shared his life, his teachings and even fish and bread with the crowds. People. “Jesus didn’t come into the world to make bad people good. He came into the world to make dead people live, Ravi Zacharias tells us. Jesus mingled with all sorts of people, but two of the most important things he asked us to do was to love God and love people, which isn’t always easy.

Sometimes, it’s letting go of my wants and desires and walk in step with the Lord as He strengthens my character so I can love others. That means loving them where they are on their journey, not my version of where they should be. God wants us to love everyone and He will work on their hearts. People. Jesus spoke to the people in parables because

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:  When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Matthew 13:13-23

I pray we see, hear and understand. Loving God and loving people.

doors

There is a short story called, “The Lady or the Tiger” by Frank Stockton that ends with an unsolvable problem. You see, a man must choose only one door and he doesn’t know if he will be devoured by the tiger or be embraced by his love. There are many times in our lives when we have to make choices and we really don’t know what’s behind the door we decide to open.

We worry. We wonder. Will it be the right job? Will this be the right person for me? Will the sun shine tomorrow? and if things don’t work out, what will I do? Am I doing all I can? Will I ever be forgiven? Was it the wrong or right decision? Will I ever be able to? Am I just imagining things?

And then you walk slowly to that door and touch the handle. Hesitant. You’ve made the decision to turn the knob. You decided that worrying isn’t going to open the way and wonder will never cease, You peek your head into the opening and realize; you worried for nothing. Simply because you decided to venture into whatever God has in store for you. He hasn’t gone anywhere. He has simply offered you a choice and you get to decide which door will lead you into the future. Freedom to choose. Peace in our decision.

The Retiring Carpenter Story
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. He would get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.
When the carpenter finished his work, the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.” The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
So it is with us. We build our lives a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with shock, we realize we have to live in the house we built. If we could do it over, we’d do it differently. But we cannot go back. You are the carpenter. Each day, you hammer a nail, place a board, erect a wall. “Life is a do-it-yourself project,” someone has said. Your attitude and the choices you make today build the “house” you live in tomorrow. Build wisely!
Author Unknown

Jesus also said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8

acceptance

At some point in our lives, we may need to recognize the need to accept ourselves and who we truly are. It feels like the calm waters of tranquility, but it doesn’t happen suddenly. It could take a lifetime, but there are so many that are restless with underlying currents of dissatisfaction. Others still need to explore who they are on this journey. They are looking for the roaring rapids, the wonderful waterfalls and the stormy seas to find their way and journey to where they want to be. Are we at peace where we are?

Not that we don’t stop growing in wisdom, creativity, knowledge; but we have to accept the fact that we can get to that place of understanding and accepting what we have become. We assume that people have to go through pain to change, but that’s not always necessary. Some people just choose to make the changes in their lives in a positive approach, like ripples on the water. Others notice that there’s something different with us when we do change. We see the sun’s reflection on the water and smile at what we see. Others are still in murky waters.

When we accept our potential and know that we have gifts and talents that are different from others, we can accept that as our purpose and act on them. To feel alive and let life take on a deeper meaning, we must go beyond the surface to experience a deeper meaning. You see, there’s always more sky beyond the cloud; there’s more water beneath the surface and there’s more me than just the physical self.

Jonah and the whale is a story of self-acceptance. God didn’t let Jonah get away with ignoring his calling. After sitting in the belly of the whale, Jonah realized that he had much more potential to fulfill. Does it matter how we got to this place in our lives? Perhaps, but more often, it matters with accepting who we are, where we are on this river of life and what we are going to start doing now to fulfill our potential. God always has lessons for us. He teaches us wave by wave on the seas of life. You just need to get in the boat and let the Master of the waves guide you.

For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there.”

Isaiah 28:10

pluviophile

Funny thing is that I don’t enjoy getting wet from walking, standing or sitting in the rain, but I love hearing the patter on the roof of the building I am in, cozy and dry when it is pouring down outside. Rainy days were for playing games at the kitchen table or staying under the covers for a little longer in the morning. It was for warming the kitchen and filling the room with scents of roasted chicken or cinammon from apple crisp. It was the day to sit by a fire, curl up with a good book or simply to sit and watch the drops slide down the window glass.

Rain can also trigger bad memories of river floods and down dreary days of no sunshine, but God sends rain to nurture the grass, the plants, the trees. Springtime delivers plenty of showers to bring May flowers. Children get to splash in puddles in their rubber boots. Robins bop in the grass devouring worms and taking them to feed their young. Dry ground soaks up the moisture in the soil and even cacti collect rain for dry days. Our mother loved the rain.

A pluviophile is a lover of rain. These are people who find joy and peace of mind during rainy days. Some people grab an umbrella and enjoy a walk. Rainy days are great days for contemplating life. Quiet times during rainy, dreary days can lead to pensive thoughts. Creativity can flow. What mindset do you find yourself on a rainy day?

In the bible, 1 Kings 18 v. 41-46 tells the story of Elijah the prophet praying for rain.

Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!” So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.  Then he said to his servant,

“Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.”

Seven times Elijah told him to go and look.  Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.”

Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’”

And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.

Sometimes, our rainy days can get us down, but like Elijah, we have to claim God’s promises. Elijah had faith that God would bring the rain and that’s why he continued to pray. We too can pray for specific situations or people in our lives and claim HIs promises when we pray to find that joy and peace. God will answer - even on rainy days.

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

Jeremiah 29:12

instead

Instead of dwelling in my old, set ways in this comfortable space, maybe I need to try “Shoshin”. According to Kelly Chausovsky, “Shoshin” is a Buddist term that means having a beginner’s mind or an attitude of openness and eagerness for whatever one encounters in life. It’s that willingness to set aside expectations and preconceived ideas and live fully.

Instead of being consumed by my thoughts and thinking negative outcomes, I need to start the day’s mindset with a song of joy in my heart. Instead of alone, try a “with” someone. That might be a phone call chat or a walk with a friend. It might be dancing in the kitchen to an upbeat song or smiling and chatting with others on a walk in nature. Instead of a complaint, it’s a word of gratitude.

For some, instead of sliding into their car and racing off to work, they now slide out of the warm sheets, feet touching the cold floor as they pitter patter down the hall in their pajamas to work. Instead of worrying about health, our kids, our finances, the world tells us that there are solutions, but my source of strength comes from prayer. And instead of sliding into despair because of disappointments, I can rest in God’s Word and believe His promises.

Instead of getting psyched up for a trip to sunny weather, palm trees and ocean waves, it’s time to put on the runners, pull up the hoodie and venture into nature wandering trails and keeping a brisk pace to ward off the chill in the morning air. Instead of stationary, it’s mobility.

Instead of living in fear and wondering or worrying about the future or the state of the world, I read the bible verses of wisdom and reassurances. Matthew 6:31-34 tells us:

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.

And so, instead of worry, choose wonder. Instead of striped, try solid. Instead of vanilla, try pistaccio. Instead of death, choose life. Live it fully in Christ.

silence

“He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.” Elbert Hubbard

I am fluent in silence. As much as I love the cadence of voices in a conversation, the noise of laughter and chatter in a room of people, I am grateful for the quietness and peace of the silence that permeates my world at times. Arising early in the morning before the world has shifted into motion affords me the opportunity to soak up the silence.

There were times in my life when everything had to be full - of people, activities, work, travel and doing. Rumi tells us that: There are times when we keep on engaging ourselves in useless talks. Also, we tend to engage ourselves in so many unnecessary things that we hardly think of getting some alone time for ourselves away from all those nuisances, and thus, be able to listen to the silence.

As I’ve aged, I realize that I have slowed down, outgrown some of the events that crowded my life. I can enjoy some of the fullness of the quietness. I am learning to tolerate more silences in my life. One learns to be comfortable with self or to be comfortable waiting to fill those longer times of nothingness. Silence can be a great teacher. I stand in the recess of this time in history with the clutter of chaos and wonder if we aren’t to just listen. The planes are not flying south in formation to sunny destinations like they used to. The classrooms, hallways and playgrounds are once again silenced because the children have been sent home. The house sits empty waiting for family and friends to fill the spaces once again. And so I listen in the silence. Reflecting, praying, waiting.

What is going on in your silences right now? What is God trying to show you as you listen to His voice? Be still and know that He is God.

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God Psalm 62:5-7 ESV