Delusional Pigeons

I used to raise pigeons as a teenager, so I have a fairly good understanding of their behavior. But today I was given a reminder. As the bus I was riding on came to a standstill in traffic, I spotted out my window a group of pigeons. One little fellow in particular caught my eye. He was strutting around the others (I assume they were females) showing his manly pigeon figure and colorful array of feathers. The other pigeons seemed to be ignoring him as they picked and scratched at the ground for whatever it was they were eating. His efforts to draw attention to himself seemed in vain. Was he delusional or just very hopeful?

While I pondered the pigeons, the verse came to me, "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." (Romans 12:3)

I wonder, how many times have I tried to draw attention to myself while the world around me goes about its business? Have I fallen into moments of "delusion", trying to conjure up some false image of myself to impress others?  It's so easy to get caught up in appearances and lose sight of who we are in Christ. It's time to let His image in us be that which grounds us emotionally and speaks to others spiritually. Our opinion and beliefs about ourselves must represent what God says; anything less is delusional, a break from reality.

Prayer: Dear Lord, my efforts to be noticed may or may not show on the outside, but you know my heart.  I receive the grace you have already given to me, in order that I might have a realistic opinion of myself and an unwavering trust in you.

Transition

Read: Jeremiah 23:23-24

Scripture Focus: Genesis 28:15-16

Big life change can often bring about a sense of confusion or feeling lost. When the familiar things in life are replaced by the unfamiliar, God can seem distant and unconcerned. That was certainly how I was feeling two years ago after moving to the bustling metropolis of Istanbul, a city of over 15 million people.

Me, my wife and our two children had moved into a small apartment in a bustling part of the city. It was at the crossroads of two busy streets. The traffic noise was like nothing I had ever experienced, and it seemed to be constant throughout the day and night.

The call to prayer rang out from several different mosques in our neighborhood. I was feeling a bit lost and distant from God. I was thousands of miles away from the spacious house I had been living in for the past seven years, complete with a large garden and fruit trees. Unfamiliar surroundings. New sights and sounds. I was beginning to wonder, “Lord did I hear you right? Are you really in this move?”

Just then I heard God’s whisper through the scriptures, “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” (Jer. 23:23). I realized that He was encouraging me to trust Him with the change and uncertainty I was feeling. I could never escape his sight and his presence, even in this faraway and unfamiliar place. In fact, during the days and months that followed, His nearness became more real to me than it ever would have been if I had chosen to stay in my comfortable surroundings.

Thought for the Day: God is nearby in faraway places.

Prayer: Lord, help us to trust you with the uncertainties of transition. In lonely and uncomfortable surroundings, may you be our constant companion and ever present help.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. – Matthew 7:24-25

Shifting sand. So much of life feels like that. Even now I’m sitting here waiting for a flight which has already been delayed 6 hours and will likely cause me to miss the next connection. Plans gone awry. Hopes left unfulfilled. Dreams delayed. Unwelcomed news.

Thankfully, there is a way to be grounded even while the rain pours and the earth beneath us shifts: Hearing the words of Christ and putting them into practice. The combination of hearing and doing is essential to success as it relates to what we build and how we weather the storms of life. Every person builds something in this life. But the lasting quality of what is constructed depends on how well we listen and how consistently we put those words into practice. This is what distinguishes wisdom from folly. I wonder…Am I being wise or foolish?

It's been said, "God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we ought to listen twice as much as we speak." I like the way Jesus puts it, "He who has ears, let him hear." - Matthew 13:9

Attentive hearing has a way of preventing unfortunate situations which our hurried actions can create. We stop to hear (really hear) those around us. We pause to hear God. This invites wisdom into our actions, infuses meaning into the doing.  Hearing well engages the heart ahead of the hands, which is essential to effective service. Hearing enables us to serve out of depth of conviction and personal character, bringing life and hope to those around us.

All these benefits to the practice of hearing, and I wonder why I’m so slow to learn. I guess there’s no better time like a flight delay to practice some hearing in the midst of waiting. Hopefully, I can become a little more wise in the process!