Introspection: Lesson from a Ladybug

I share these thoughts as a call to action.

Lesson from a Ladybug

Scripture:

...I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you gave Me clothing, I was sick and you took care of Me, I was in prison and you visited Me... Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of My family, you did it to Me.

Matthew 25:35-36,40

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the brokenhearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see

From "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath

I have never been very adept at attracting the ladies, but, for some reason, I seem to attract ladybugs. I remember finding ladybugs on the table after bible study and taking them outside - two weeks in a row. Once during a chapel service, I remember looking down and seeing at least three ladybugs on the floor beneath me.

Two months ago, I was riding back from a retreat with a minister friend when a ladybug flew onto my finger. A few seconds later, it flew off of my finger and went downward. This worried me, as I was afraid I would step on it. I was relieved to later find the ladybug on the car door near my leg. I watched it crawl up the door and onto the window. As it neared the top, I cracked the window to give it an opportunity to escape back into nature. Unfortunately, the ladybug only went halfway out. I didn't want to force it out of the car since we were driving pretty fast, so I coaxed it back into the car and closed the window. When my friend and I arrived at our destination, we finally got the ladybug out of the car.

Watching the ladybug and trying to get it out of the car, I realized something. If I was this preoccupied with the well-being of an insect, then so much more I should preoccupy myself with the well-being of my fellow human beings.

According to Christ, concern for others must be a priority in our lives. In His last parable as recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus speaks of the final judgment of humanity. Those Christ places at His right, the sheep, are commended for feeding the hungry, for clothing the needy, for caring for the sick, and for visiting the lonely. Those He places at His left, the goats, are condemned for their neglect of the hungry, the needy, the sick, and the lonely. Christ even goes so far as to say that whenever one of the sheep helped those in need it was as if he or she was helping Him. He also says that whenever one of the goats ignored someone in need, it was as if he or she was ignoring Him. The sheep are welcomed into the promised Kingdom while the goats are punished.¹

Notice that, in this story, it is not one's beliefs that determines whether or not a person enters the Kingdom. It is, in fact, the people's treatment of the down-and-out that separates the sheep from the goats, that separates those who are truly close to God and those who are actually estranged from God. Belief is important, but it is not enough. True living faith must bear fruit in our lives, showing through in our treatment of others.²

As followers of Christ, we are called to love one another as He loves us,³ and there are people all around us who are desperately in need of Christ's love. I have a friend who recently remarked that she is "trying to find her own Calcutta." This is a reference to Mother Teresa who devoted her life to caring for the needy in the Indian city of Calcutta. She was noted for saying, "Calcuttas are everywhere if only we have eyes to see. Find your Calcutta."⁴ We do not have to go halfway around the world to find those who need to experience Christ's love.

In the past year I began writing and teaching Sunday school. I was even blessed with the opportunity deliver the sermon at my Church a few times. If there is one thing that I have learned from the whole experience, it is that it's easy to preach. Practicing what I preach is another story. I too know that it is much easier to ignore or dismiss a problem then to actually try to do something about it. I can preach about showing Christ's love to others, but, if His love is not showing through in my own life, I am just making noise.⁵ This is as much an exhortation to myself as it is to you, the reader.

In this new year, let us all preoccupy ourselves with the well-being of others and look for ways to show the love of Christ to those in need.


Notes:
1 - Matthew 25:31-46
2 - James 2:14-17
3 - John 13:34
4 - Shane Claiborne. The Irresistible Revolution. 2006, Zondervan.
5 - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Ladybug photo by Jon Sullivan is public domain.


If you have any feedback, thoughts, stories, or even arguments to contribute, please leave comments.

Perspective: You Have a Drum

Merry Christmas from the Wayside!


You Have a Drum

Scripture:

...they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary his Mother; and they knelt down and paid Him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:9-11

Shall I play for You?
Shall I play for You?
Mary looked at me and nodded
The ox and lamb kept time
I played my drum for Him
I played my best for Christ
I played my best for Christ

Then He smiled at me

From "Little Drummer Boy" as performed by MercyMe

So it's almost Christmas! If your part of the world is like mine, then you have noticed that certain local radio stations have been playing nothing but Christmas music for the past five or six weeks. This fact has its advantages and disadvantages. The good thing about it is that it can help you get into the Christmas spirit. The bad thing is that, if there is a Christmas song that you don't particularly like, you will probably hear it about five hundred times over the course of a few weeks.

One of the better Christmas songs, in my humble opinion, is "The Little Drummer Boy." You probably know the story well, especially if you listen to soft rock stations. A young boy goes to the stable to see Jesus, the newborn King. Unlike the wise men, he is poor, so he cannot afford extravagant things like gold, frankincense, or myrrh. He feels as though he has no gift worthy of a king, but he gives Jesus the one thing that he has to offer Him, a song on his drum. The boy plays his heart out for Jesus, and, when he is finished with his song, the Christ Child looks at him and smiles.

This story is familiar to many of us, but let's step back for a moment and take a different look at this tale. Let's look at it, not just as a cute Christmas story, but as a metaphor for our lives.

Many of us find ourselves wanting to do something great for Christ. Unfortunately, we sometimes look at the things that other people are doing in the world, and we become discouraged. We feel as though we don't measure up to these people. We look at our own abilities and feel as though we have nothing to give, no talents worthy to offer our King. We think that, if we just had the gifts and talents of others, then we would have something to offer Him.

Despite our feelings, though, we each have something that we can offer Christ. We have each been blessed in some way. Maybe we feel as though our gifts and talents do not sparkle like gold or that they are not fragrant like incense or myrrh. The fact of the matter is that we each have a "drum" of some sort. We each have a "song" to play for Jesus through our lives.

Our offering does not have to be something extravagant. The things that Christ values the most are the things that we do to glorify God and to help others. Christ says that whatever we have done for those in need, we have done for Him. ¹ In the Sermon on the Mount, He calls such acts "treasures in Heaven." Unlike earthly treasures that do not last forever, heavenly treasures last for eternity. ²

Another facet of the story that I think is worth noting is the fact that nothing is mentioned of the skill of the boy playing the drum. It simply says that he played his best for the Christ Child. The truth is that you do not have to be a "Ringo Starr" or a "Phil Collins" to play your "drum." You do not have to be the best at what you do to bring an offering to Christ; He simply wants you to do your best.

My exhortation for us all is is that we take our "drums," whatever that means for each of us, and that we play our best for Christ. Let's play our hearts out, hoping that someday, when each of us finally meets Jesus, He'll smile and say "Well done, good and faithful servant." ³


Notes:
1 - Matthew 25:34-40
2 - Matthew 6:19-21
3 - Matthew 25:21

Introspection: Highs and Lows

I share these thoughts, hoping they are of help to someone else.

Highs and Lows

Scripture:

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.

Psalm 139:7-10 (NKJV)

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

From "You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman

Every year at Thanksgiving I try to get everyone at the dinner table to say something for which he or she is thankful. This year I said that I was thankful for a new job and a new outlook on life. My new job had brought me a much-needed sense of purpose and self-worth, and, without the shame that had weighed me down the last couple of years, I was able to feel happy once again.

This new outlook on life showed through in my behavior. I got out of the house more often; I came out of my shell a little more; and I was enjoying life. I felt as though I was truly living and not just dying very slowly. At one point, it seemed that everything was going my way. I was on a high.

Unfortunately, highs do not last forever. Setbacks and disappointments brought me back down to reality, and old patterns of insecurity, envy, frustration, and self-pity began to re-emerge in my life.

One evening recently, events did not unfold as I had hoped, and I sank, once again, into a funk. Thankfully, my gloom did not last very long. A new day dawned, and with it came it's own small joys and successes. I bounced back.

My life has gone through a lot of changes lately, on the outside and on the inside. I lost the shame and dread that had been tearing me apart from the inside. After that I went through a time of numbness, boredom, and uncertainty. Then I found myself on a high resulting from certain long-time problems finally being resolved. Now I feel as though things in my life have leveled off, and I am back to my typical ups and downs.

My parents can attest to the fact that I am a very moody person. Sometimes it seems as though there is a slippery slope between my highs and lows. Lately, this fact has caused me to reflect on the highs and lows of life.

We all would like for everything in life to go our way, but we know that cannot happen. When we were given life, we got a package deal. We have good days, and we have bad days. We receive blessings, and we also receive trials. We have to take the good with the bad and the ugly.

In this journey of life, we will see both mountain tops and valleys. Sometimes the road will be smooth, and sometimes the road will be rocky. If you are blessed with a high, be thankful to God, and savor every moment. If you are going through a rough time that is testing your heart, realize that God is with you the whole way and that "this too shall pass." Wherever you currently find yourself, whether you are high on life or in a funk, know that the LORD who "giveth and taketh away" ¹ is always with you.


Notes:
1 - Job 1:21