Excuse me!

It is not every day that we are forced to appreciate the wonder of our five senses. For many; having all senses in working order is the norm, nothing special, and why should it be right? We go about our daily lives, taking our functionality for granted… but it just takes one unusual (maybe even comical) experience that forces us to evaluate, and appreciate, what we actually have.

I never considered the blessing of the senses, namely sight, and was quite comfortable living with a fully-functional body; being able to see, touch, taste, talk and hear everything I needed to in order to function perfectly within society. However, it was only a week ago that my thoughts were challenged; where I was forced to consider life without ANY one of my senses. It is safe to say that I appreciate what I have a WHOLE LOT more. Here is what happened:

I had planned a trip to Johannesburg (South Africa), with the mission to locate and visit the Embassy of Switzerland. Now the train system in Johannesburg is really efficient (first world in fact) and so I decided to use the train as a primary mode of transport. After arriving at the Sandton station early that morning, I took a train to Pretoria (where the Embassy was actually situated, not quite Joburg). The trip was roughly an hour long and being early morning in South Africa, the scenery was pretty great. I arrived in Pretoria and proceeded to board the buses that followed certain routes around the city, hoping to recognize a road name or at least something that suggested the Embassy was near. After nearly an hour on the bus, with no success, the driver informed me that the area I was looking for was in fact nowhere near our current location at that time. So I stayed on the bus until we were back at the station, and tried my luck by purchasing a ticket to the next station on the rail, Hatfield (a suburb on Pretoria apparently). While I was waiting for this train, which would hopefully bring me closer to the embassy, I noticed an elderly man standing/waiting on the same platform. He was wearing shaded glasses, and being just after sunrise I thought nothing of it. I was actually quite envious of this man who didn’t have to squint as the sun’s rays blasted me. I boarded the train and was on the way to Hatfield.

Upon arrival, I was directed towards the bus terminal (once again) by various, quite conveniently placed, signs. HOWEVER, this time, reaching the buses meant crossing one of the most chaotic streets I have ever seen. The light turned green for me and I proceeded, but the man next to me didn’t move. It was the same old man I had seen on the platform, standing completely still on the side of the street. I was already half way across the road when I noticed so I didn’t have much time to double check what he was doing. I decided to just carry on and, eventually, I found a bus (empty, apart from 3 others) and chose a random seat out of the way, making myself comfortable. Moments passed…

Out of the silence rose a tapping sound, broken up by shuffling feet and the distinct sound of a suitcase being dragged on wheels. Through the door surfaced, first a long stick (before I realized what it was), and then THE man, only now did I realize he was in fact blind, using a cane for feel and direction! I almost punched myself for not realizing sooner, after failing to help him across the street. The signs were now obvious- cool shades, ‘walking stick’, hesitation in movement- how could I be so unaware!

I snapped out of the argument in my head and observed the man. It was not long before I realized (and dreaded) what was about to happen. With a sharp movement, the man stopped, and BOOM! He threw his suitcase into the isle I was seated in, knocking my legs and releasing a grunt from my clenched jaw. Obviously the grunt was not enough to signal that the seat was taken, because the man proceeded to prepare himself, turn, and then sit…on me. After an awkward “excuse me” and muffled apology, I guided the man onto my neighbouring seat- making the entire trip uncomfortable and just awkward. Funny, right? I also thought so, until my mind started going.

What would it be like to be this man? To be so unsure of his surroundings yet willing to cross a street guided purely by his hearing and subtle touch of his cane. It was then that I realized the value of the senses. Without ONE, life changes, COMPLETELY. We take sight, touch, taste and everything else for granted, every day. Imagine being unable to see the street you’re crossing, or not being able to taste what you’re eating, or not being able to hear the sweet melodies of your favourite artist!

This has definitely been something that has challenged me this month, and is definitely something to think about.

Thank you.

An insight to Suffering

So I got asked the other day when my next post would be and so I was reminded to do another one. Aaaaand, here it is...

So I've been reading a book by Philip Yancey called 'Where is God when it hurts?' and so the concept of suffering has been on my heart for a while now. Im going to base this post on a talk I gave today (monday) to a few guys, but I'll simplify it a little so you don't have to read so much. With that said, here is my view on suffering.

So I'd like to start by discussing the idea of physical pain and its role in our lives. People so often think of pain as a negative thing that is just there to be uncomfortable and some even say that pain is God's one mistake. I want to clear things up a bit and tell you that pain is no mistake and serves a vital purpose in our lives... The nervous system and pain network is an insanely complex system which guards our bodies every day to insure our physical well-being and even survival. Our bodies are packed with millions of nerve endings that detect the slightest touch and warn us of danger through pain.

Dr Paul Brand, a world famous hand surgeon and specialist in the treatment of leprosy, found that the disease (leprosy) is merely a condition where the victim loses the ability to feel pain when a normal person would. A person with leprosy could stub their toe, step on a thorn and even cut their finger off without feeling the tiniest bit of pain. The victim is unaware of the damage caused, so doesn't treat the problem area. This leads to a spreading infection and even the loss of limbs. Leprosy victims basically destroy themselves without knowing it.

You see pain is essential for our well-being and its discomfort forces us to deal with the situation it points out. If pain was pleasant we would not be forced to to take notice of the problem when it occurs. OUR CREATOR IS AWESOME!

-So from that we can establish that pain is not a mistake or even a negative aspect at all. Pain helps us to realize that a solution is needed before the pain will stop. This leads me to my main point of suffering-whether its physical, mental or emotional suffering.

People often wonder how a loving God could create such a terrible aspect of life (e.g. holocaust, 9/11, WW1 etc.) but giving a kid a pair of ice skates is different to knocking him down on the ice right? We (as humans) have free will and we had the chance to live in harmony with our Creator BUT we (or Adam) chose to disobey. Our abuse of our freedom has resulted in suffering. People often blame God for what happens in the world today but picture this: A bunch of thugs break into a museum and vandalize some famous art by spray painting it etc. Are you gonna judge the painting by what it looks like after the thugs destroyed it? NO!...Its the same with creation- God painted a beautiful painting but we broke in and destroyed it and so WE are to blame. Because of what we did, suffering is now inevitable on earth BUT it's the way we deal with the suffering where we see God's intentions.

Like physical pain, suffering forces us to seek out a solution. We search and search but eventually we come across the only thing that can satisfy us. The only solution is Jesus Christ. When suffering comes our way (as believers), we stand firm with a foundation in solid rock. The truth is that we are united in Jesus and so we don't belong on this earth-we belong in our Father's house. Guys we are IN the world but NOT OF the world. We stand strong through times of trouble because we know what waits for us. We stand strong because we know we will meet our Creator and enter His house where pain and suffering have no place. Suffering builds character and turns us to Jesus, When a result of suffering is meeting Jesus, is suffering such a bad thing?

So take suffering as a chance. A chance to find The Solution and a chance to find refuge in the everlasting God.

I hope this makes sense...

Psalm 37-The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord. He is their stronghold in time of trouble. They take refuge in Him.

Unconditional love

Im sure everyone knows the parable of the Prodigal Son right? Well if you don't know it well, you must have at least heard about it somewhere. If not, you will today. In this post I just want to discuss some things about this epic story that really changed my walk with God and will hopefully change yours. Here we go...

In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus talks about a man who had two sons. One day the younger one goes to his dad and asks for his portion of his inheritance. So the father splits his estate between them, giving each an equal portion.-'Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there, squandered his wealth in wild living.'(NIV)-basically, the son blew all his money on wild living until he had nothing left... After a while he needed money so hired himself out to a citizen of this distant country and was sent to the fields to feed the pigs. He was so hungry that he craved the pigs food but no one gave him anything.
After a while he started thinking of how his father's servants had food, even more than they needed, and here he was, starving to death. So he made a decision, he would return to his father and say: "Father I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son so make me like one of your hired men"- he set off to his father's house. When he was still a long off, his father spotted him and was filled with compassion for him. The father literally ran to him, threw his arms around him and kissed him! When the son started to speak, his father ordered his servants to prepare a feast and to throw a huge party. Then the father said: "This son of mine was dead and his alive, was lost is now found. They began to celebrate.


In this story, Jesus is not just talking about a random father and son, He is talking about God the Father and us, His children... You see, we so often turn our backs on God and seek out alternatives which seem appealing to us. We take the gifts He gives us and we waste them on perishable things of the world which do not fill us. These things may seem fun but at the end of the road we end up with nothing, living in a pigsty, begging to eat pigs food! That doesn't have to be the end... When we humble ourselves and make a choice to return to our Father, He will run and meet us where we are. No matter how far we run or how badly we mess up, our Father will embrace us and welcome us with open arms, back to His house. You see the love of our Father is unconditional and so there is nothing we can do to make Him love us less. All it takes is for us to realize that we are all failures and to turn to God, we are made perfect in Him. We cant buy our way into heaven and even if we could, we could never afford it. God gave His only son to die for our freedom- If thats not love then what is...It is only because of what Jesus did for us that we are saved. His death is greater than any sin we could ever commit and His love is wider than any distance we could ever run. The main character in this story is not the son, it is the Father. Its because of the Father's grace and forgiveness that we are allowed to enter His house and celebrate with eternal life. Don't try and prove yourself but act out of GRATITUDE for what He has done for you.

Shot guys.

The burst.

Alright, here is something quick to think about.

I was cycling today and after a car pushed me off the road, I swerved into a ditch and my tyre burst. Having to get off and push my bike all the way home was very inconvenient and I was really in a bad mood. When I got home an hour later, I was hot, sweaty and my trip had been a lot harder than expected.
This resembles life don't you think?
Here is my thought...

When life is smooth and going well, its comfortable. There is a cool breeze in your hair, no sweat, and everything feels great.  The world seems an amazing place and stuff with God is good. But then you hit a 'ditch' and your 'tyre' bursts. You have to recover and stop yourself from crashing. When you realize what has happened, you are forced out of your comfort zone and your whole world seems 'deflated'. The journey ahead is a tough one and smooth riding is no longer an option. The 'ditch' can be anything in life that stops you in your tracks and this is the start of a demanding time. It takes persistence and hard work to bring you to a resting place where God can repair and you can be inflated again with His love. There is always going to be a puncture that affects your journey but God is able to do the repairs and keep you going strong.
True?

The 'Rocky' Syndrome

Okay! I recently heard an analogy where The Gospel and Rocky Balboa were compared. You are probably wandering what the heck Rocky has to do with the Gospel, BUT the fact is- we are a lot more like Rocky than you would think. I think i should explain...

In all the Rocky movies, Rocky Balboa (the big-shot boxer) is constantly trying to prove himself, always trying to show others what a good boxer he is. Now THAT is where we are very similar to him. When we mess up, we automatically try and prove that we are better. We are always striving to show others that we are not that messed up and so we try make up for our actions. There is no freedom, we will always fail because the fact is: WE ARE ALL MESSED UP! If we are acting in hope to prove ourselves and prove our goodness, there is no end.

But the Gospel gives us a completely different reason to be good. Society and even Religion says that if we do good things, we will be accepted. But in Jesus, we are already accepted! He payed the price for us, and now who we are is not what we do BUT what HAS BEEN DONE FOR US! We are righteous because of what He has done and we act out of GRATITUDE!, not shame. No matter what we do or have done, God always loves us. There is nothing we can do to make Him love us less. He IS love. Everyone makes bad choices but its by the grace of Jesus that we are accepted and so the running is over.We don't have to prove anything because He has already done it. He who knew no sin came down so that we might know the righteous of God. It's so easy to catch 'The Rocky Syndrome' because society says it is normal. We cause ourselves pain and hurt just like Rocky did. The choices we make are not what make us who we, Jesus makes us who we are.

Great teaching from the band Tenth Avenue North  :
http://tenthavenuenorth.com/