I remember getting a fruitcake for Christmas. It's probably on everyone's list of elephant gifts. How many false, "Oh, this is what I really wanted." or "Thannnnk you so much." appreciation acting we've committed masking our true contempt of fruitcake. This strange European tease of filling a perfectly normal sponge cake with reject fruit and letting it firm up with a texture like it's been sitting in a morgue for a year...then giving it to people?
Which leads me to this: what happens if your gift got rejected even more than Christmas fruitcake?
I heard a great point at church today and it DOES relate. Only God can love people. Loving other people takes the power of God. It's not possible to love others without be connected to another source that doesn't exist on earth.
That makes sense: the idea of 'everybody getting along' or a utopian society is a wash, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. We are all made differently and sooner or later you'll get someone who simply doesn't like you for any reason. The world certainly declares our disdain with God and we even let Him know it in our small ways.
God truly loves the world and He demonstrates it daily to us because we as a species shun Him, mock Him, and take His name in vain. Bang your thumb, use His name. Someone cuts you off, bring up his name. You ever noticed we don't go "Oh Zen!" or "Oh Scientology!". Nope, all around the world, it's almost like the whole world convened together and decided to really get God irate by really messing with His name.
Or what about life's events: when bad things happen, everyone goes, "Why God?" but you get a raise, or see the birth of your child, "Thank you God!". Noooo. When bad things happen, everyone is quick to blame, or cry out a deal with God, but once that passes by we go on our merry way.
And that's just the tiny ways we show our contempt.
But God holds His voice, and demonstrates Grace to us, the whole world on a daily fashion. Last time I checked I didn't see a man dying from a hail of fire when the man used God's name in vain. Of course, God takes his grace further with a gift called Calvary. The demonstration of true love: another person dying for you. The gift and offer of life that is entirely without strings.
Which is where Christmas and fruitcakes come together. Generally people consider Calvary an option - like fruitcake.
Of course some people exclaim, "I don't want that gift, I never asked God to die for me." Wow. I doubt if I'll ever hear that type of response in Iraq, "Nice work buddy, but I never asked you to take that bullet for me though."
We don't even stop to ask, why? At least let me really ask God and really find out if this is the real deal.
People take FRUITCAKES for Christmas from other people with that cheap smile yet, we have the idea to reject God's love so casually? Wow. If someone was offering to give you a life-saving liver transplant, and you had the option of that or fruitcake, you'll ACTUALLY take the fruitcake? Honestly! The fruitcake?!!
Yes, it does take a lot of divine power to love this species called people.
How else can you explained loving a species that loves Christmas fruitcake more than you?
Sep 6, 2009
Random thoughts....
Just the other day I saw a little girl with her mother. It struck me. Hard. It struck me hard: the loss of my child still lingers. The funny thing is I know I lost a baby girl. I can't explain why, or how, but I know I lost a little girl. One tries not to dwell on it too much, but that moment the idea of picking up a little girl that looks like my wife and a little bit of me really tore me inside. Walking a few steps, lost in my own thoughts I blinked away a tear.
I don't feel sorry for myself or my wife, and I don't ask "Why?". Life happens and it's not without reason. I take great comfort in that, but it doesn't negate the sorrow, or loss. Loss is difficult, and I'll never minimize it. Then I think of all the good fathers who love their kids and then get really angry at the fathers who don't realize how big a gift they have.
I'm a girl's daddy, always will be.
**
Ok, I admit it. The P90x system is the most challenging, most addicting workout system I've encounter. I'm not completely vain; I do like being in shape, but the biggest thing is I want to be there for my wife and my kids. If we ever have kids, I'll be way old starting out and I know the average male's longevity is less than my wife. My wife joked if I ever died she'll abandon her organic and exercising way to speed her way to death, but at the rate which we eat, and exercise we should be ok, by the grace of God.
People need to wake up: you can get away a lot in your twenties abusing your body with a poor diet and without exercising, but it will catch up to you. The statistics and studies prove it: you can live healthier, longer and be more happier exercising. Many Americans will develop type-2 diabetes from diet alone. Our busy life-style is slow killing us. (Interesting fact: the Chinese character for 'busy' is two Chinese characters 'kill' and 'heart') Without the proper value of eating together and cooking together we are literally killing ourselves pumping sodium and corn syrup into our system.
I don't feel sorry for myself or my wife, and I don't ask "Why?". Life happens and it's not without reason. I take great comfort in that, but it doesn't negate the sorrow, or loss. Loss is difficult, and I'll never minimize it. Then I think of all the good fathers who love their kids and then get really angry at the fathers who don't realize how big a gift they have.
I'm a girl's daddy, always will be.
**
Ok, I admit it. The P90x system is the most challenging, most addicting workout system I've encounter. I'm not completely vain; I do like being in shape, but the biggest thing is I want to be there for my wife and my kids. If we ever have kids, I'll be way old starting out and I know the average male's longevity is less than my wife. My wife joked if I ever died she'll abandon her organic and exercising way to speed her way to death, but at the rate which we eat, and exercise we should be ok, by the grace of God.
People need to wake up: you can get away a lot in your twenties abusing your body with a poor diet and without exercising, but it will catch up to you. The statistics and studies prove it: you can live healthier, longer and be more happier exercising. Many Americans will develop type-2 diabetes from diet alone. Our busy life-style is slow killing us. (Interesting fact: the Chinese character for 'busy' is two Chinese characters 'kill' and 'heart') Without the proper value of eating together and cooking together we are literally killing ourselves pumping sodium and corn syrup into our system.