Below is a video a friend sent to me. Good stuff here, but …
It reaches out to the things of God, and because it does not
acknowledge the author of those things, it falls something short.
I want to share with you my response. Here’s the video and a
polished version of the letter I sent in reply …
Hold on to your seat dear friend. My brain is running wild today!!!
Did I ever tell you I was a Sociology major in undergrad?
That’s what this lady studies. I love Sociology, even though there is virtually
no career in it :o).
Oh, there is soooo much good stuff in this video … and yet
it only grazes the hem of God’s cloak and at points, holds a palm to His Truth.
I can almost hear Him calling to her saying, “Here I am. This is what you are
looking for,” and her, clapping her hands to her eyes, responding, “Anything
but you, God. I will find a way to do this without you, so I will use things OF
YOU (because they are true), but will leave YOU out of it.”
With that in mind, I wanted to supplement her thoughts with
the following …
1) The first slide she showed states, “If you can’t measure
it, it doesn’t exist.
You cannot, nor will you ever be able to, measure God—Does
He exist?
At one time we thought cells were the smallest units of the
body. And then we discovered cells had parts that required further study.
Today, there is much research being done on one of those parts—the mitochondria. To me, it is the height of
arrogance that human beings think they can ever know or measure the entirety of
the far reaches of the universe, and the minutest of parts within it. And not
knowing them, do they exist? In fact, all scientists would agree that the more
we know, the more we know we don’t know.
Read that last sentence a few more times. It’s important!!!
The more we know, the more we know we don’t know.
That sentence probably would drive this woman crazy, because
she cannot put it in a properly wrapped box :o). Truthfully, sometimes it
drives me crazy too (being a control freak myself). But when I lament that I
can’t control God, I remind myself how much I’ve screwed up my life so far, and
am grateful He thought enough to fix it for me. Maybe I’ll just give the driving
to Him in the first place.
2) She suggests that looking for certainty is always a bad
thing (talking of religion, showing a mean/angry face).
This suggests to many that certainty in any faith is always
about mean, angry, opinionated people whose only goal is to blame, shame and
hate. And though that exists, it is not the entirety of religion, faith, belief
system, or whatever we choose to call this thing today. However, no matter how
many opinions there are on what color is the best color, or whose house is the
grandest, there are things in this life that are just plain truth. We might not
all agree on what they are, but it does not mean the truth of it is somehow
moveable. How the earth was formed happened exactly how it happened. Whatever
way it happened is true, even if some think God spoke it, or it came from a
random explosion. Those opinions do not determine what actually already occurred.
Yes, we do seek certainty to find security in our lives. We
are wired to look for it, just as we are wired for connection (as she so aptly
described at the beginning). So in other words, we are wired for the certainty
that we are connected … This is where Jesus comes in. Jesus brings back the
certainty that we are connected to our loving Father who created us FOR
connection with HIM. So in this, our wiring finds its home.
Certainty in a loving, sacrificing, purifying God achieves
everything this researcher wants to find in order to achieve connectedness
through vulnerability. More on that as we go …
3) She says we need to see ourselves as worthy.
You know, I believe we are all especially gifted in ways our
Creator chose for us. If you were to ask me what those gifts were, I could
probably even tell you a few of my own—only cuz I study this issue and like to
talk about it a lot! However, I could also tell you a lot about what I truly
SUCK at. Seriously! And there are those things I don’t know I suck at because
I’m too enmeshed in my biased opinions of the world to see with a clear view.
One of my giftings is as a mother … but sometimes I even suck at that!!! Oh the
pain I’ve seen on my daughter’s face at words that were spewed at her in
anger—not even anger at her, but thrown at her just cuz I needed to vent.
Am I worthy?
Yes. Not because I’m such a great person but two other
things make me worthy.
One, my Creator made me for a purpose and it was a perfect
purpose. My faults will even be used in that purpose and that’s a really cool
thing to watch!!! He’s just so stinkin’ powerful He’s better than a fireworks
display!!! Really! Sit back and take a gander at His raw ability. THIS is where
He is truly amazing.
Two, Jesus has purified me. He is in the business of making
me worthy. I didn’t get there on my own.
I don’t know about you, but that takes a lot of pressure off
me because no matter how hard I try, I still know I am a weak, vulnerable
sinner. I like to know I am not alone in this. That God has my back!
4) She says to love with no guarantee.
You, my dear, have a guarantee!!! Don’t let anyone tell you
that you don’t!!! You have Agape love that cannot be won by your so-called
worthiness and it cannot be taken away for ANY reason. This is my foundation
for peace, because when I’m feeling stupid, dorky, ugly, fat, old, <insert
any negative adjective and you will touch what I sometimes feel> I
can REST on the CERTAINTY that God loves me no matter how vulnerable I am. His
love is so powerful it lifts me up from any abuse, whether from those around
me, or even myself.
5) She says I am Enough.
I am not enough. Read any of Paul’s encouraging letters to
the churches and you will often see the words “in Him” or “with Jesus.” We are
not enough if we don’t have Him. With Him, we are MORE THAN enough—our cup
overflows!!! The good news is, I don’t have to work harder to be enough, I just
need to work IN HIM.
No matter how many times we chant mantras of self-love in
the mirror, they will all fall away the minute we look at our reflection and
notice the flab, the wrinkles, the bad hair day (I’m speaking for myself of
course!!!). We will get cut on by co-workers and bosses, betrayed by family and
friends, hear complaints from customers and wonder, “Who am I to see myself
clearly when all these people tell me I don’t measure up?” Then, all those mantras
of self-worth become empty words. However, WITH HIM we are reminded that we are
fearfully and wonderfully made according to HIS purposes. (That HIS part is
important!) Being omniscient and stuff, He knows what He is doing!!! So then,
the question is not “who am I to contradict them,” but “Who are THEY to
contradict God?!”
My final response to this video on the Power of
Vulnerability is this …
His Power is made Perfect in my Weakness!!!
Do you want to stand on your own power? Or would you rather
stand on HIS?
Love,
Connie
