Deep-Seated Satisfaction
Believe me, I would love to put on a plastic smile and say, “Live every day like it’s a Friday and everything will be just grand.” I would love to write a hardback book about it and make millions! It would be fantastic if that was the solution to all my problems, but it’s not. The issue here, I realize, is that I cannot let the external determine what happens in my life. Those things are out of my control. With that being said, happiness is something that is affected by external things. I can feign happiness, but if things aren’t going my way, I’m probably not genuinely happy. Joy, on the other hand, is something instilled in us and it is internal. Joy is deep-seated satisfaction (unmoved by external events) in fulfilling the purpose for which we were made.
I really began reflecting on this recently when reading through John 16:16-24. The disciples are with Jesus in the Upper Room and He begins telling His disciples that there is about to come a point (his death), where the world will rejoice and they in turn, will be sorrowful. Jesus continues by saying that their sorrow will turn into joy (His resurrection) in verse 20. I think there is deep significance in the words Jesus speaks to His disciples that follow in verse 21-22. “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22). Then, read a little further and you stumble upon a very famous verse. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). You see, there are still painful events that occur in our lives. Even after Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples still are persecuted and beaten on several occasions and yet they still have joy. Do you think they were always happy when they were being beaten? Do you think they thought to themselves, “Okay, I’m being beaten..now pretend it’s Friday and everything will be just freakin fine!” No! I’m convinced that they were in pain and anguish. Yet they pressed on knowing that they were living the life to which they were called and that was living in the example of love Jesus lived (check 1 Corinthians 13 for a definition). I doubt there was happiness and smiles in those moments and truthfully, when those hurtful moments come in our lives, there probably isn’t a bunch of smiles and happiness. Honestly, it is okay if you’re not happy in every waking moment.
I can understand why some people in Christianity put such an emphasis on being happy. However, I don’t think that is the emphasis upon which we should focus all our energy. I am not saying that life is going to be a mere, miserable existence. I do believe that we need to be realistic and I also believe our attitudes and hearts need to change. Happiness has its benefits for sure and by all means don’t avoid it (that’s not what I’m getting after anyways). What I am trying to say though is please, if you consider yourself a Christian, don’t waste all your time fretting about your happiness alone. By focusing so much on oneself in the process of securing one’s own happiness exclusively, that person is never going to have the deep-seated satisfaction of following Jesus. If the apostles and other followers of Jesus in Acts only worried about their happiness, we would have an incredibly boring story to read and better yet, we might not even have Good News to share right now. Don’t be afraid of painful events to the point where you aren’t living your life and you’re feigning happiness. Jesus has paved the way and He will not abandon you if you follow Him. There is an incredible amount of satisfaction in giving your all to Him.
Love you all!
Daniel =)
When the Rest of the World Moves On
If you have ever lost someone close to you, you know it’s nearly impossible to explain how that has altered your life to someone who has never been through that before. If you have not dealt with that, but you know someone who is currently going through it, you probably aren’t sure how to help that person. What I’m posting tonight is something that serves a dual purpose: to help those who are currently dealing with that sense of loss to understand they are not alone, and to help those who want to edify those in this situation understand what that person might be going through. I just wanted to share a letter with you that someone else wrote. After my dad passed away, I found this to be really true of what someone faces when they encounter this trial. I honestly could not have said this any better myself, and that’s why I wanted to share this person’s words with you tonight. I am very sorry if you have lost someone close to you and I would love to pray with you through this trial. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
“Anyone who has buried a family member or close friend knows that one of the hardest days of all is the day the rest of the world moves on. Initial news of the events surrounding your loved one’s death open a torrent of response and your home usually quickly fills with friends, family, food and care. Though no one really knows exactly what to say in these moments, and for the most part shock hasn’t yet given way to the reality of it all, we find great comfort and support in the faces of those we love.
Soon, the funeral home is filled with people we know and some we don’t, people come from near and far, a service is held and a long procession winds to that place where our bodies finally rest. In the whirlwind the wishes are well, the hugs numerous and the cards, calls and notes steadily come. Yet, in time, people return to the pace of their days. Soon, it dawns on us that our hearts are still breaking while those around us merge back onto the freeways that are their day to day lives. Faster than we would hope, everything around us shifts back to normal while we are just beginning to feel the weight of our pain and the finality of our loss.
I say this not to blame the world, for people cannot bear every burden of every person for the long haul. Rather, to just affirm for those of you who have been left standing there that you are not alone.”
Love you all!
Daniel =)
Rubber Duckies
It’s been some time since I’ve written anything. I always feel like I have a lot to say on any given day. For once (recently at least), I haven’t had much to say. Let me tell you, that’s been a blessing in a lot of ways. It’s given me a chance to recalibrate and get back on track. I took a class on the Gospel of John last week and there was something in particular that stuck out to me.
Maybe John 3 and 4 are set up this way on purpose, but I realized that there are two stories here that have some big-time similarities, but also some key differences. In John 3, Jesus is speaking with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and authority amongst the Jews, and the thing most of us recognize is that Nicodemus approaches Jesus at night. They have a conversation where Nicodemus is not understanding what it truly means to be a disciple of Jesus. By coming to Jesus at night for fear of the Pharisees, Nicodemus is making himself something of a “secret disciple.” It’s like he has an admiration for this Jesus man, but he doesn’t want to make this a public admiration. If he does, he might lose his social standing as a Pharisee. He clearly sees that there is something unique about Jesus and that He could possibly come from God, but he doesn’t appear to be willing to testify to this idea amongst the rest of the Jews (read John 3:1-15 if you get a chance). Nicodemus is not sure what to do with his role as a Pharisee in relation to following Jesus. Next, we have this woman in John 4 who is a Samaritan (they often didn’t associate with Jews due to a not so pretty history). Jesus asks her for a drink from the well while the disciples are going into a nearby town. She immediately wonders why a Jew would ask a Samaritan woman for a drink. He replies, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). This conversation continues in a fashion that leads her to the point where Jesus tells her exactly who she is (how many husbands she’s had and her current situation). Jesus adds many other key details in John 4:21-24 and the woman realizes at the end of the conversation that He is the Messiah. So the disciples come back and the woman leaves, but it’s not the last we hear of her. In fact, in John 4:29 the woman proclaims to her village, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”
So essentially we have the secret disciple and the disciple who won’t be quiet. We have the one who is contemplating how authentic Jesus is despite the fact that he saw Jesus perform signs (John 3:2). We also have the one who bears witness to the fact that Jesus is the Christ right away. I feel as though in many instances we’re wasting time trying to line up our theological duckies that we forget to be true disciples of Jesus. True disciples are people who not only see what God does in our lives and understand the significance of that, but they are people who share the Gospel and bear witness to His name. I feel like sometimes we think, “Hey, it would be so easy if I lived back in the time when Jesus was around. They got to see miracles and signs firsthand. I’d shout from the rooftops what I just saw if Jesus did a miracle in front of me.” Guess what? Go to John 11 and read about how a man was raised from the dead. RAISED FROM THE DEAD! And yet somehow, in John 11:46 we see some of the eyewitnesses of the event reporting this to the Pharisees and then they plotted to kill Jesus. Seeing these signs firsthand does not ensure belief. Being a disciple is much more than just seeing. It goes two steps further I’d say. There’s understanding and this is followed by witnessing or proclaiming THE Good News. This is shown in the lives of the disciples afterwards in Acts. They don’t just understand that Jesus is God and that He is establishing His Kingdom and talk about that once a week, but they go out and share the Good News of Jesus, even to the point of persecution and death. They aren’t desperately trying to hang on to their place in society, but they make following Jesus their priority and they make that public news. Truly, I think this is the life we are called to. Following Jesus is not a secret and it takes priority.
Love you all!
Daniel =)
It’s Not the End
In the eyes of the hopeless:
It’s the everlasting reign of Winter,
As if Spring is held back in chains.
Through the eyes of hope:
It’s snowing and freezing,
But Spring has come,
And Summer is on the way.
“‘Always winter and never Christmas; think of that,’ said Tumnus. ‘How awful!’ said Lucy” (C.S. Lewis, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe).
“For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again” (2 Corinthians 1:8-10).
It often times feels like it’s the end and that only bad things will happen to us. I really just wanted to let you know tonight that it’s not over. Pain and suffering, they aren’t the only things that exist. Jesus didn’t die so that things would stay the same and a good story could be told, but He did so out of obedience to the Father and certainly love, and consequently our lives are not the same and never will be. Hang in there, it’s not over.
Love you all!
Daniel =)
Transformation Isn’t Ideal
Writing blogs late at night is fun. Most people would dread writing something late at night especially because a lot of people spent several months writing something late at night for school. Perhaps I’m just an odd one. But really, it’s awesome! I feel like I can be even more honest than I usually am because if I post this now, I’m well aware of the fact that there’s a lot of people that won’t see it. Therefore, I have less pressures in writing this. Not only that, but writing is a way for me to connect with God, others, and somehow myself. Late night writing just has a greater impact I guess. Either way, that’s not what I’m going to expand on tonight. However, I do have some things I want to throw out there that have been on my heart recently.
When I read something like Colossians 3, I immediately recognize that this is something that clearly applies to us today. This isn’t a way of living that could have only existed in the ancient world, but the way of life to which we are called today is laid out here in this passage. Check it out: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:12-14). This whole passage is about putting on the “new self.” In other words, we’re called to do away with all of the things we did that held us back from giving everything to God. More than anything, this is a true challenge for anyone who lives for Jesus.
There’s a lot of amazing things that come along with being a “Christian” here in America. People start liking me and even being nice to me. We hang out once a week and maybe more if we’re in a small group together. We hold Bible studies. I buy “Christian” stuff. People pray for me. I sing nice songs to God. That’s all great, but somehow at the same time I manage to be the same person with a different group of friends. Do you know what I mean? I don’t forgive others. I’m not humble or patient in the craziness of a day. I’m not..different. Are you following? Am I not supposed to put these things behind me?
I don’t say this in any way pointed at you. Truly, these are observations and convictions of my own. The thing I have come to realize is that following Jesus without a doubt, involves transformation. The thing most of us forget though is that this is happening every day and sometimes we need to recalibrate because we’ve forgotten to put on the new self. It doesn’t excuse us to keep saying we love Jesus and keep living the way we did before. Let’s be real, transformation isn’t ideal. Sometimes it means giving up that spot in line. Sometimes it means taking someone else’s shift. Sometimes it means showing God’s love to someone who doesn’t deserve (who does deserve it anyways?). Transformation isn’t ideal or easy, but it is the life to which we are called. One where we forgive others. One where we are compassionate, humble, patient, and loving. Thanks for reading this. I know it’s a huge ramble and a half. Cut me some slack though, it’s 1:02 a.m.
Love you all!
Daniel =)
I wanted to go for a run tonight..
I really wanted to go for a run tonight. I have a lot on my mind and I wanted to run it off, but wouldn’t you know it, the treadmill was being used. I guess this is the way I need to process things tonight. I won’t lie, I’m kinda frustrated (not about the treadmill so much) with expectations. Somedays, as pessimistic as it sounds, I wish I didn’t have to deal with expectations. I’m not that pessimistic though because in all reality, some of those expectations can be met and are fulfilled. The reason I don’t want those wishes is simply because, they’re wishes. I have faulty expectations a lot of times as a follower of Christ.
Maybe a lot of us have issues with what we expect in following Jesus. Something I like to compare this to is having an image of marriage where everything is perfect. Though I’m not married, I’ve had enough relationship experience to realize that the thought of “no conflict” is ridiculous. If a couple doesn’t even have the smallest hint of conflict, you probably wonder to yourself how genuine they are to each other and to everyone else. I’m not by any means suggesting that marriage is a 24/7 war zone, but people don’t always agree and people mess up sometimes. How does this relate to following Jesus?
Well, it goes like this. Basically, I don’t about you, but sometimes I find myself thinking that living each day for God removes all conflict from my life. All of a sudden I realize, “It bothers me when I don’t have enough money.” “It irritates me seeing people at school having dumb arguments over meaningless crap.” “It annoys me when I see people make lousy choices about who they date and it makes me wonder even more why I’m not in a relationship.” All of those things I mentioned are things that have crossed my mind at some point in time, and some more recent than others. Sounds like there’s still conflict to me. I think the thing that bothers me the most is that when people, including myself, have thoughts like that, it’s like we always expected to confess Jesus as Lord and then never need Him again. In other words, it’s like I said the magic words, and boom! I don’t need God’s help anymore. And finally, when that conflict arises I ask, “Why is this happening to me, Lord?” It makes me sick when we as followers of Jesus think we don’t need God’s help anymore, when in fact, we always need Him. There’s no fine print in our “Christian contract” that says we won’t have any more problems when we give our lives to Jesus. Even Paul acknowledges several times that we are weak people who need God all the time. He even shares with the Corinthians how to deal with affliction. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). There is going to be struggle in our lives and Paul freely admits that there. The truth is, we need God all the time and we need to be comforted by God in our conflicts. We also need each other. Let’s not pretend like we always have everything together and that we can do this alone, yeah?
Love you all!
Daniel =)
Lucky Number 100
It is finally here! Blog number 100! I truly wish I had something profound to say tonight, but I can’t say that I do. I think what I really want to type up here is just a big batch of reasons as to why I even write the things I write. As you can hopefully see, this blog is called for lack of a better phrase, “Sailing on a Ship.” The reason I chose this name for a blogging site is a reaction to Acts 27. In this chapter, Luke records Paul sailing for Rome awaiting a verdict and a trial. It’s a very rough journey for the most part and truthfully, it looks like Paul and the people on the ship are pretty much screwed. Turns out that God got Paul and this crew to the place they needed to be even though it nearly cost them their lives. The major point I’m getting at, is that life is very similar for followers of Jesus. It’s not easy. You and I will always, and I mean always, have conflict in our lives in a corrupt world. However, there is still good news in following Jesus. He gets us to where we need to be just like He got Paul to where He needed to be. He is faithful through everything. We aren’t promised ease when we decide to follow Christ. In fact, our lives more than likely become more challenging. My hope in writing this is that through my own struggles I can remind myself and anyone else that God does not abandon ship. Regardless of how many times we are about ready to abandon ship because it appears to be sinking, God does not forsake us. Maybe you needed this reminder tonight as I have needed it on several occasions, and that is the sole purpose as to why I posted this. If possible, through my mediocre writing skills and lame humor, I want to help encourage you as a reader and a follower/seeker of Christ. I want to encourage you to pursue Him with everything you have as I have been encouraged to do the same. You deserve to know that God certainly wants a relationship with you. You do not have to be perfect because that was out the window for everyone long ago. I apologize if I have ever painted a picture of Christianity where Christians are perfect people because they are not. I do not live a flawless life by any means and I mess up daily, but it is only through Jesus that we are rescued. He does love you more than you can possibly imagine. Please be encouraged that life is not hopeless, but there is forgiveness, grace, and hope in Jesus. We are in this together and it is all for His fame and glory.
Love you all!
Daniel =)
Away From the Myspace Days
It’s pretty unbelievable to me that I’m approaching my 99th blog. I’ve probably written more back in the Myspace days, but I don’t even want to begin looking at my awesome high school grammar. So what am I going to write about? I guess we’ll see here really soon. To all of you who read this and get something out of it, I’m really glad that happens for you. If you get nothing out of it, sorry about rambling on here. You probably want those few minutes back that I just wasted for you. Really, I want to be a help if that’s even possible, but more than anything, writing helps me process life as it happened or happens. Again, I’m stoked to have opportunities like this to share what’s going on in my heart. You all rock!
So Jesus, yeah? Well, I was reading this bizarre passage in Matthew 15 and something I read pretty much floored me. Here it is: “And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.’ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she is crying out after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ And he answered, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly” (Matthew 15:21-28). “What in the world Jesus? How could you say that to that woman? She needed your help and your immediate reaction seemed insulting if anything. For crying out loud, you implied she was a dog.” I’m sure the first time you read that or heard it, you were probably a tad confuddled like I was. It seems like Jesus has a derogatory reaction to her and then out of nowhere He heals the woman’s daughter and says she has great faith.
There’s a lot of important things to take into consideration here, but I promise it all makes sense. First off, this woman was not a Jew. She was a Canaanite woman. The disciples knew this about the woman because of where they were traveling. Remember, the disciples say, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” The disciples had an attitude of being higher and greater than this woman, and this is their biggest obstacle here. When Jesus says, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” He is reflecting what the disciples are thinking. The disciples are the ones thinking along the lines of themselves as the children and people like this woman as dogs. To take that one step further, He’s being sarcastic. I get the hunch that Jesus could see this woman’s faith and He knew what the disciples were thinking the whole time. What seems to be going on here is that Jesus wants the disciples to pay attention to this woman’s faith. How much faith does she have? She has an amount of belief that causes her to acknowledge that if she only gets a crumb (not a whole meal, not an entree, not a side salad) from Jesus, it is enough! Not only does she have this great faith, but look at what she is doing. She isn’t even trying to avoid the fact that she is being seen as a dog, but she lowers herself and submits to her Lord who is present and knows that He is the one that can heal her daughter.
What does this leave us with? The thing I really get from reading this is that we are not supposed to make much of ourselves, but we need to make much of Jesus. Making much of Jesus is not trying to justify ourselves. We can’t even accomplish that. Making much of Jesus is living our lives for Him knowing that we desperately (don’t take this lightly) need Him. Sometimes we need to be reminded that Jesus is enough. This woman knew that even a crumb from her Master was enough. This story is incredible to me and humbling to say the least. I don’t know about you, but this causes me to evaluate the kind of things I do each day. Am I just making much of myself, or am I really realizing how much I need Jesus and making much of Him?
Love you all!
Daniel =)
Here’s a Generic Title: Hope
I think I had one of those moments where you look back at the way you originally understood something and go, “Wow, that’s a crime.” Sometimes I grin and think, “How ignorant was I to think that way?” Tonight, I’m going to try and keep things relatively simple, but I won’t make any promises. Tonight, I want to talk about one thing, and that is hope.
A lot of people ask the question, “where is the beacon of hope in a dark world?” It’s usually followed by, “Jesus!” While I agree, from my perspective I can honestly admit that I never fully understood why that was true. The hope aspect at least. I’ve been following Jesus for about five years now and I think it’s been more recent that I’ve started to comprehend what that means. Here’s what I’m coming to understand about hope: It’s not wishful thinking. Hope that we see in the New Testament times is understood to be an expectation. When a teacher first shared that with me, it didn’t take any effect immediately. Yet as it settled in, I started to understand why this was so important. If you hope Jesus will return in a wishful thinking manner exclusively, it doesn’t really change the way you live does it? If you hope Jesus will return with an expectation, I imagine that it would shake our foundation. Do you ever wonder why someone like Paul lived the way he did? Why would he take beatings for Jesus and even be thrown in prison for Him? My bet would be that he held his hope in Jesus as an expectation. I also bet he had his days of doubt and struggle. However, the trajectory of his hope was placed in an expectation and now we see just how much he was transformed. If I say to myself, “Well, Jesus might be Lord and He might have this Kingdom that is present and still coming and He might return..” how much of a chance am I giving God to transform me so I can live for Him? It’s like I’m creating this relationship with God that’s only half-way there. Yet if I say, “I really do believe Jesus is who He says He is and that His Kingdom is coming and He is establishing that..” I’ve opened up a whole new world of possibilities to grow closer to God and to glorify Him. Jesus is our hope and we live in belief that He is our Savior. Ultimately, what we believe about Jesus will result in the kind of things we will do. This is all of the stuff I’ve been pondering recently. Your thoughts are always welcome!
Love you all!
Daniel =)
I Can’t, But You Can
I once knew a man who had quite a lot on his plate. One might even say he had it rough for the most part. This man aspired to be athletic and a father who helped out around the house like it was his job. He was one of nine children I believe, and he was in the middle of the pack. Yet, while he was still a member of the Air Force, he stepped out of a plane too early, right before the steps were in place. With that, he fell about twenty feet or so and both of his knees were severely damaged. As far as I can remember, this guy had at least twenty operations on both of his knees including several knee replacements. Everything he probably dreamed of doing was taken away from him in a freak accident and an instant. This only made matters worse, one might observe. However, I’m going to tell you another side to this story.
As I mentioned earlier, this man aspired to be athletic and he sure wanted his boys to follow in his steps. He even was a prospect for Division I college baseball. He was not completely immobilized and had no need of a wheel chair, but he definitely could not run and play sports again. Naturally, he wanted to do everything he could to keep at it and constantly work hard at whatever he could physically do. He went on to become the athletic director of the school his boys attended. Truthfully, the younger one took much for granted about what his father did. His father was also his coach throughout the years. The younger guy loved basketball and he was passionate about the game. However, he learned an important life lesson from his father and at this point, he only viewed his father like any other coach or leader. One night this man woke his son up really early in the morning. Confused and tired, the son went with dad to this undisclosed place. After a short drive, they arrived at the boy’s school gym. His dad handed him a mop, and they both started cleaning the floor. The boy was still very confused until his father informed him that he did this a few times every year. And when the boy asked why his father said to him, “I realize I’m not able to run with the team and show them how the drill is done, but this is something I can do.” Even though the boy’s dad was physically weak, he still gave everything he had in him to make sure his team was the best group of young men out there. This man went on to become one the greatest servant’s I have ever had the honor of knowing.
That man is my dad, and my dad was admittedly weak. He not only knew it, but he admitted it. Yet what did he do with that? He found a way to help his team. Instead of complaining about his heart ache of a situation, he did something. And guess what? You are not incapable of serving the Lord. Things happen in life that shock us to the core. Isn’t God’s power made perfect in weakness? You think you’re good when you’re “strong?” Wait and see the possibilities when you’re weak. It will not be easy, but if you turn to Jesus in your weakness, you may just be surprised at how much glory you bring Him. It will not be your favorite day of the week when tragedy happens, but God will pull you through, and you will have an incredible story to tell about how He rescued you. On some of my most difficult days, I remember a very simple yet profound prayer: “I can’t, but You can.”
Love you all!
Daniel =)
