The Downside of Freedom

There are billions of people around the world who would give anything to live in America. Why? One big reason is the freedom we have. We're free to choose where we live, where we work, what we do with our money, etc. These kinds of freedom from government control are very good.

I think that by living in this environment, people tend to develop the attitude of "You can't tell me what to do," or "I can do whatever I want." Unfortunately, this attitude can easily carry over into one's attitude toward God and His standards for our lives.

I have been challenged recently to have more of a servant attitude toward the Lord. Several of the New Testament writers introduce themselves as bondservants, which were the lowest type of servants (below hired servants). Philippians 2 describes the model of humility that Jesus set for us during His time on earth.

But most importantly, Romans points out that everyone is slave to someone: either to sin or to righteousness. People in America who think that they are "free" from the rules of God are in reality slaves to sin. But when we are slaves to God, we are free from the bondage of sin and free to live the life that God intended.

Since everyone is a slave to someone, I would much rather be a slave to God!

Making Lemonade

"When life throws you lemons, make lemonade!"

Christina and I have been putting this advice into practice this weekend. We're here in Indianapolis waiting for our house to close. Since it's not ready, we have had to put our things in a storage unit and extend our stay in local hotels. It's a little frustrating not to be in our new home since we were really looking forward to it. It's also frustrating since it comes in a train of several other complications with the mortgage process.

However, I am determined to make the best of the situation and have a good attitude despite the frustration. God is pleased when we choose to have a good attitude amidst a challenging situation. I decided to look for ways that God might be trying to bless us as a result of our house not closing. Christina's mom helped me to identify the best one: Christina and I have been able to spend a lot more time together the past few days just talking than we would have had. We've gotten very familiar with the layout of the new city by driving around to run some errands. We also have gotten a lot of time to discuss how we want to set up our new home, and we're both on the same page and looking forward to it a lot. It's also neat to see how supportive our church is of us and how eager they are to help us move into our house once we get the keys.

In addition to all this, we get to stay in a nice hotel for a whole week! I went for a walk yesterday and found some amazing spots to explore, take pictures, or just hang out with God. I plan to come back to those spots sometime when I just need to take a break. We got to attend part of the MCCA conference that our church went to. If we had been in our house, we would have spent the whole weekend unpacking.

Finally, I think that in addition to God blessing us with these things, He is building patience in us (and patience can only be developed in the context of frustrating times). It's always helpful for me to step back and look at things from this perspective. Sure, frustrating times come, but when life throws you lemons, you might as well make lemonade! Look for the good things going on despite (or even as a result of) the bad things, and suddenly a situation takes on a whole new dimension.

A Whole New World

On June 30, Christina and I made a signficant transition in our life together. We left the Windy City that we have lived in for over six years and drove 4 hours to the city of Indianapolis where we intend to life for many years to come. We are changing our home, our jobs, our church, and gaining many new friends. I kind of felt like the pioneers that were going out west back in the 19th century; they took everything with them and couldn't fly back to visit their family any time they wanted. When they arrived, they had to adjust to an entirely new way of life.

Of course, we really don't have it that hard. We have visted Indy five times between December and June before moving down for good. During these visits we have gotten very familiar with the city. We also have various ways of staying in touch with our friends in Chicago. All this to say that our transition is so far a very smooth one (except for our house not closing when we expected it to, but that's a different story).

Throughout life there are times that you go into a situation where you are new and do not know a single person (new job, new church, etc.). I can count about 7 times that I've had that happen so far, but one pattern I notice is that within a few days the new place starts to feel more familiar, and within a couple of weeks friendships begin to develop and you forget that you're new. I'm looking forward to that happening for Christina and me in our various new spheres of influence.

A Definition of "Camping"

A friend of mine was recently sharing his excitement over a recent "camping" trip. He said that he had always wanted to go camping and had finally gotten the chance. I wanted to share his excitement, so I asked where he went. It turned out that his "camping" trip was to a retreat center with cabins, beds, showers, and a dining room. When he said this, I quickly pointed out, "That's not camping!"

To me, camping is sleeping in tents--on the ground--with the mosquitoes--and you cook your own food. To some people that sounds like torture. To me, it's awesome (minus the mosquitoes). There's just something about setting up tents, going on hikes, and looking at the beautiful stars that gives an unparalleled chance of relaxation. However, this does not sound very relaxing to everyone.

So what is camping, really? What is a definition that everyone would agree with? I guess that it's a chance to get away from the business of life and explore the wonderful nature that God has created. It's a chance to talk with friends and family (not coworkers) face to face (not on the phone or computer). It's a chance to clear your mind and be refreshing, as well as reflecing on the big picture of life and identifying some small steps you could take to make it better.

So even though I don't share the same specific picture of camping as others might, I do affirm the need for getting away and taking some time to relax. It may just be that we all relax in different ways.