I am not sure how I got here, but I now know for a fact that I am your average time-driven uptight human being. I came to this stark realisation this week while eating pizza with my son. Becky and the girls had gone out for the day and would not be back till late. As a result, I decided it would be fun for Jackson and me to travel on the subway to get some dinner. Having not lived in Toronto all that long the subway is still a very exciting event. Jackson was responsible for deciding when to get off the subway and where we would eat when we did. I figured pretty much any stop would be able to meet our dinner needs. Jackson chose Jane Street…not my first choice, but a good one none the less. We instantly saw a Pizza Pizza and the decision was made; we would get a couple of slices and sit by the fountain outside.
I had completed 90% of my meal by the time we actually sat down by the fountain. Jackson however had only just begun. He took small child sized bites as he stared intensely at the fountain and all of its details. How many stairs does it have? Where is the water coming from? Where is the water going? I wonder what would happen if I walked up the fountain? While this was taking place I had my own series of thoughts: What time is it now? How long will it take to get back home? What work needs to be done when I get there? When will Jackson take his next bite?! And then it dawned on me; I was everything I hated about adults when I was a child. Controlled by time and task not spontaneity and wonder. Asking what is next instead of what is now. Convinced that the present was only a pass-time while waiting for the future. Overlooking my precious time with my son in anticipation of more important things. How gross…how distorted…how wrong!
Thankfully, time did not pass me by entirely. I received a cup to the back of the head from God and I began to adjust my mind accordingly. I began to count the stairs in the fountain. I wondered what it would be like to walk up it and how wet my feet would be should I choose to do so. I started to learn from Jackson’s example of child-like wonder instead of impose my practicality on him. I began to enjoy my time with my son, the reason I ventured out in the first place.
To embrace a cliché with open arms, I would encourage you to stop and smell the roses. Watch your child and take from their example and remember what life looked like before wrist watches, laptops, black berry’s and cell phones. Tune out the noise and breathe in the wonder of God.
Rob
Monday, October 20, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Thank You Anniversary
At times in my life I have often questioned the value of Thanks Giving. Why do we need a specific day a year to give thanks when it is something we should all be doing on a daily basis? We have so much to be thankful for that it hardly seems like a viable task to accomplish all our thanks in just one day.
In past years I have decided to look at it from a different perspective. Instead of looking at Thanks Giving as the day to give thanks, I view it as a sort of "thank you" anniversary.
In marriage we have anniversaries; this of course does not mean that we only love our spouse one day of the year or only tell them that we love them once a year. Anniversaries are intended to bring focus on your relationship and for at least one day a year be very intentional to make your love the absolute priority. The same principle applies to Thanks Giving. Today is the day when everything else comes in second place to our thankfulness. Our prayers, meals, family time and quiet time should focus as best we can on what God has done for us. So on my "thank you" anniversary I would like to conclude by sharing what I am thankful for.
I am thankful for a God who gave it all to save a wretch like me. I am thankful for a saviour who took my place. I am thankful for that this same saviour is alive today and will return for me. I am thankful for a family who I love dearly and a family who returns that love. I am thankful for a church who loves and supports that same family and for a church that is more than an institution, but my family as well. I am thankful for the provisions God has given me and I am thankful that I am able to share those provisions with His children. I am thankful that no matter how long I were to sit and type, I could never cover all that God has done for me as an individual; all that He has done for His church and certainly I could not even scrape the surface with my thanks for all that He has done for those who would believe.
Take some time today to write a list, pray a prayer or share with family all that you are thankful for and make sure to direct that gratitude to the only one deserving of unconditional thanks. Today is a God anniversary so spend time with your love.
In past years I have decided to look at it from a different perspective. Instead of looking at Thanks Giving as the day to give thanks, I view it as a sort of "thank you" anniversary.
In marriage we have anniversaries; this of course does not mean that we only love our spouse one day of the year or only tell them that we love them once a year. Anniversaries are intended to bring focus on your relationship and for at least one day a year be very intentional to make your love the absolute priority. The same principle applies to Thanks Giving. Today is the day when everything else comes in second place to our thankfulness. Our prayers, meals, family time and quiet time should focus as best we can on what God has done for us. So on my "thank you" anniversary I would like to conclude by sharing what I am thankful for.
I am thankful for a God who gave it all to save a wretch like me. I am thankful for a saviour who took my place. I am thankful for that this same saviour is alive today and will return for me. I am thankful for a family who I love dearly and a family who returns that love. I am thankful for a church who loves and supports that same family and for a church that is more than an institution, but my family as well. I am thankful for the provisions God has given me and I am thankful that I am able to share those provisions with His children. I am thankful that no matter how long I were to sit and type, I could never cover all that God has done for me as an individual; all that He has done for His church and certainly I could not even scrape the surface with my thanks for all that He has done for those who would believe.
Take some time today to write a list, pray a prayer or share with family all that you are thankful for and make sure to direct that gratitude to the only one deserving of unconditional thanks. Today is a God anniversary so spend time with your love.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Opposites Oppose
I was listening to CBC radio2 today and I am sure that many of you would know what much of the conversation was centred on: The desperate state of the global economy. Many European and Asian countries are now starting to feel the effects of the unstable American market and the upcoming Canadian election has shifted from issues concerning health care and scandals to full platforms based economic stability and recovery. It would seem that many people are asking the question "what is tomorrow going to look like?" So what do we do in the meantime? We anxiously await the fate of our future.
As a kid I was a huge fan of Wrestling...go figure. I was actually lucky enough to see Wrestlemania 6 at the Sky Dome. The main event was a match-up between The Immortal Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. These to brave competitors were on a collision course for the past year and were about to settle their differences on the worlds largest stage. The crowd hummed with excitement and anticipation as these two giants were about to determine who was the undisputed champion of the world. The music played and the men came down the isle and stepped into the ring. A stare down instantly ensued and the tension could be felt as 60 000 people waited for the explosion to take place. The stare was broken when Hulk Hogan pushed the Ultimate Warrior back into the ropes and both athletes began to run across the ring bouncing back and forth against the ropes until finally their paths crossed and they collided...neither moved. Again they ran into the ropes to gain momentum and the crowd sat in wonder waiting for these two to clash a second time. Again, neither moved. It appeared at the time that both men were in perfect opposition to the other.
So why tell this story? As the believer it is critical to understand that anxiousness stands in direct opposition to prayer. The two are mortal enemies who cannot co-exist. When we turn our attention towards anxiousness by default we begin to weaken prayer. That is why in these times of uncertainty we need to look to the Lord more than ever. Paul writes to the Philippians "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God". If you must look to the future, look to God to take care of it. Go to Him with your concerns and allow Him to offer a comfort that cannot come from earthly things. Do not give power to anxiety, but instead look to prayer and petitions.
I understand that for many their lives may very well look different as tomorrow approaches; but that does not change the fact that God is the one who is in full control. Jesus writes "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Do not allow your anxiety to stand in direct opposition to you prayer; rather, look to the only one who can bring clarity to a scary and unstable world.
Rob
As a kid I was a huge fan of Wrestling...go figure. I was actually lucky enough to see Wrestlemania 6 at the Sky Dome. The main event was a match-up between The Immortal Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. These to brave competitors were on a collision course for the past year and were about to settle their differences on the worlds largest stage. The crowd hummed with excitement and anticipation as these two giants were about to determine who was the undisputed champion of the world. The music played and the men came down the isle and stepped into the ring. A stare down instantly ensued and the tension could be felt as 60 000 people waited for the explosion to take place. The stare was broken when Hulk Hogan pushed the Ultimate Warrior back into the ropes and both athletes began to run across the ring bouncing back and forth against the ropes until finally their paths crossed and they collided...neither moved. Again they ran into the ropes to gain momentum and the crowd sat in wonder waiting for these two to clash a second time. Again, neither moved. It appeared at the time that both men were in perfect opposition to the other.
So why tell this story? As the believer it is critical to understand that anxiousness stands in direct opposition to prayer. The two are mortal enemies who cannot co-exist. When we turn our attention towards anxiousness by default we begin to weaken prayer. That is why in these times of uncertainty we need to look to the Lord more than ever. Paul writes to the Philippians "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God". If you must look to the future, look to God to take care of it. Go to Him with your concerns and allow Him to offer a comfort that cannot come from earthly things. Do not give power to anxiety, but instead look to prayer and petitions.
I understand that for many their lives may very well look different as tomorrow approaches; but that does not change the fact that God is the one who is in full control. Jesus writes "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Do not allow your anxiety to stand in direct opposition to you prayer; rather, look to the only one who can bring clarity to a scary and unstable world.
Rob
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