In the church we attended in Tucson, there was a common phrase tossed around with smiles, but also nods, because it's so true:
"Confession is good for the soul, but bad for the reputation!"
Well, I know I have a lot of eyes on me every day: what I say, how I act, what I'm wearing and even the expressions on my face. They all influence my children most of all of course, so I have to be ever mindful of the behavior I'm modeling for them. But it's also highly visible to my extended family members, dear friends all over the world, and my beloved church brothers and sisters too.
I am a very open person. I'm honest, and I will tell you everything on my heart or in my mind without thinking it through sometimes. Unfortunately that sometimes means I say things that can be misunderstood as being critical or negative, particularly when I'm posting things online.
I've heard it said that the actual content of communication can account for as little as 7% of the overall message that is conveyed to the listener, while body language and tone of voice will make up 55% and 38% respectively.
I have a very sensitive heart to the feelings of others. On Myers-Briggs personality typing, I score as an ENFJ (more about what that means here.) Basically my real goal in life is to please other people, to include them when I fear they are being excluded, set them at ease and help them feel comfortable when they are not. I do care deeply about the plights of starving, hurting, and otherwise struggling people in our world, and my husband and I try very hard to do even small things to help where we can.
And so it pains me and causes me to lose sleep at night when I think (or know) that I have hurt someone else's feelings, usually because I didn't think through what I was about to post carefully enough. I have several college degrees and a vast love of learning. I will research tirelessly to find the truth about a subject, to make sure I'm not missing important opposing viewpoints or information. But sometimes, I convey my findings in a way that sounds arrogant or elitist or condescending.
I feel terrible if there are any of you reading this who might have had your feelings hurt because of one of these quick posts I fired off. I want you to know that I never mean to offend at all.
So I confess to you all, my dear friends and family, that I am not a perfect being. (A fact you all probably knew well enough already! *winks*) And specifically, I apologize for being overly proud about my knowledge of various subjects, and for making anyone feel minimized because of a hastily-posted comment.
May God's peace be with you all.
~N~
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Jesus died for Osama bin Laden too
I turned on the television last night just in time to hear President Obama address the nation, telling us that bin Laden had died.
It was, as I described in my facebook status update later, a "bittersweet" moment. Presidents Bush and Obama had both made the capture or death of bin Laden a top priority. One quote that stood out to me last night in particular:
"Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice."
This moment was sweet, even though a person died, because it was the culmination of nearly 10 years of hard work and sacrifice by many people, a fact Obama pointed out several times in his address.
And yet, this moment leaves a much more bitter taste in my mouth long after the sweetness has faded, because at the end of the day, one more person has died because of our sinful, violent human nature.
Ezekiel 33: 11 was quoted on many facebook updates last night: "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live." I read the full chapter to get the context of this verse, and it made me shiver a little bit.
Something those of us who claim fellowship with Christ must remember - and I was jolted into trembling as I was reminded myself - is that we are supposed to be those watchmen described in Ezekiel 33. We are responsible for blowing the trumpet call of the good news of the Gospel, and we will be held accountable for the blood of those who die if we don't blow the trumpet.
How can we sit and rejoice, knowing that a man has died and most likely gone to a Christ-less eternity? God said he takes no pleasure in such a death. And the blood of bin Laden's death is on all of us Christians.
God mourns whenever one of his lost sheep die without Jesus. He sent his Son to atone for ALL of our sins, not just Americans, not just those of us who are not in the "axis of evil." He loves every single person on earth as his own son or daughter. He knit bin Laden in his mother's womb, just as surely as he created me.
I pray today that God will forgive me, and any of my brothers and sisters, who have rejoiced, even just a little bit, over an occasion that caused our Father pain. The fervent prayer of my heart is that I remember always why I am here on earth: to worship God and to spread the good news. I am so sorry that I forget that sometimes and get caught up in our earthly affairs. Every person is precious to God and every person deserves to know about the redeeming blood of Jesus, even those who have murdered thousands of people.
~N~
It was, as I described in my facebook status update later, a "bittersweet" moment. Presidents Bush and Obama had both made the capture or death of bin Laden a top priority. One quote that stood out to me last night in particular:
"Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice."
This moment was sweet, even though a person died, because it was the culmination of nearly 10 years of hard work and sacrifice by many people, a fact Obama pointed out several times in his address.
And yet, this moment leaves a much more bitter taste in my mouth long after the sweetness has faded, because at the end of the day, one more person has died because of our sinful, violent human nature.
Ezekiel 33: 11 was quoted on many facebook updates last night: "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live." I read the full chapter to get the context of this verse, and it made me shiver a little bit.
Something those of us who claim fellowship with Christ must remember - and I was jolted into trembling as I was reminded myself - is that we are supposed to be those watchmen described in Ezekiel 33. We are responsible for blowing the trumpet call of the good news of the Gospel, and we will be held accountable for the blood of those who die if we don't blow the trumpet.
How can we sit and rejoice, knowing that a man has died and most likely gone to a Christ-less eternity? God said he takes no pleasure in such a death. And the blood of bin Laden's death is on all of us Christians.
God mourns whenever one of his lost sheep die without Jesus. He sent his Son to atone for ALL of our sins, not just Americans, not just those of us who are not in the "axis of evil." He loves every single person on earth as his own son or daughter. He knit bin Laden in his mother's womb, just as surely as he created me.
I pray today that God will forgive me, and any of my brothers and sisters, who have rejoiced, even just a little bit, over an occasion that caused our Father pain. The fervent prayer of my heart is that I remember always why I am here on earth: to worship God and to spread the good news. I am so sorry that I forget that sometimes and get caught up in our earthly affairs. Every person is precious to God and every person deserves to know about the redeeming blood of Jesus, even those who have murdered thousands of people.
~N~
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