FiresideWe were all incredulous today. Woke up to what I suspected was snow, but didn't quite believe was snow until I got outside and felt it for myself.
Folks down here just don't know what to do with themselves on the rare occasion we get any sort of frozen precipitation. Schools close, roads close, stores close at the first sign of ice.
I didn't complain. Another excellent excuse to stay in my pjs.
I've never been one to "frolic" in anything colder than room temperature. I must be part feline. Don't like to play in the rain or slosh in puddles, because then my clothes get that icky, heavy, sticky, soaky feel to them. My socks and shoes saturate around my feet, hair sticks to my face. Just makes me all-around uncomfortable.
Rain, snow, sleet, thunderstorms create a powerful yearning in me to curl up in a womb-like environment. Must be in soft, comfortable clothes. Must have the thermostat turned up. Must have a blankie within hand's reach. Must have an abundance of hot beverages and/or soup available to me at all times.
And that's when I like to read or write or doze or daydream. Outside, the world lashes the same ancient elements that drove people to mountain caves or under the earth in times immemorial. But me, with modern conveniences like central heating and canned tomato soup (with grilled Swiss cheese sandwiches), I fold up my knees, tuck my feet under me, cover up with a warm afghan, and thoroughly enjoy the lulling contrast between exposure outside and hearth-conditions inside.
Definitely/Maybe/Never
I never judge anyone on what they believe, but in conversations or in reading articles online, I often take lots of mental notes on things I don't believe myself.
I'm certainly no expert on theology. There's a whole lot more I don't know than what I do know. Most of what I do know, God's revealed to me through scripture or sermons. It's safe to say I'm unschooled and uneducated, at least Biblically speaking.
Be that as it may, some things just feel wrong. On those things, I form an opinion and bookmark the thought to return to at a later time. Among the thoughts and questions I've encountered along the way...
1. It's blasphemous to say I'll pray for someone, and then neglect or refuse to do it. I believe this is true. Now, I also believe God knows my heart, so if I truly forget to pray for someone, He understands and pardons that. But neglecting or refusing to pray for someone to whom I've given my word...it's not only a lie, but a blasphemy, because I've used God's name against him.
2. At 3 AM, the veil between the spirit world and the fleshly world is thinnest, so that's when Christians are most likely to be wakened by the Spirit to pray for someone. I believe this is false. I don't believe principalities are governed by time in the same way we are. I don't believe the spiritual realm functions according to the laws of earth. That's not to say I don't believe the Spirit may wake a person in the middle of the night to pray for someone else. I believe this happens all the time. But I don't think it has anything at all to do with the hour of the night.
3. Animals have souls/spirits. I believe this is false, in that I don't believe animals will go to Heaven or Hell. I don't make a point of hammering this fact home to the kids, especially as we've lost beloved pets in the past. And even though I don't believe animals have a spiritual construction the way we do, a part of me hopes God has a place for them somehow.
When I was little, Mom used to tell me she believed God had a place after death for animals. She mentioned the horses of the armies of Heaven (Revelations 19) and said she liked to believe those horses were the horses of Egypt that drowned when the Red Sea closed over them after Moses brought the Israelites across.
Her imaginings may have no basis in truth at all, but I don't think we'll know until we get there. But even if animals don't have a place "beyond," I trust in God's complete plan, and I won't question it. Pets are a blessing, and we're thankful for them, even if they're only meant for us to enjoy for a short time here on earth.
4. "It's a day-to-day salvation." I believe this is false. When it was said to me, it was implied my salvation is secure until the moment I sin again. When that happens, I'm unfit for Heaven again, so I have to go through a constant process of confession and repentance if I'm going to be allowed into Heaven's gates.
I personally, deeply believe my place at the Father's table is set and secure. I'm paid for and redeemed, no matter how many times I fail over and over again here. I believe I will go through a constant process of confession and repentance for the rest of my life, but I believe it's a process of drawing close to Him and has no bearing on my salvation, which is already established.
5. Some tangible, earthly objects are holy. I believe this is true, but for me, this concept is limited. I believe some tangible, earthly objects are holy, like a Bible or a church. But I don't believe these objects hold spiritual energy or power in and of themselves, as some people believe certain rocks are sacred, or certain gems can bring blessing or curse.
I believe God sanctifies some things for His purposes, as symbols. A church by itself is consecrated to God by people, but let's say the building and property are sold to a restaurant franchise. The restaurant then is not holy and consecrated. The actual building and the land its on are no longer holy and consecrated.
I believe the same thing holds true for things like jewelry with crosses on them. The crosses are not holy in and of themselves, but for the wearer, they may symbolize a holy, consecrated faith.
Of course, there are people who wear crosses with no conviction or symbolic meaning for them at all. In this case, the crosses are meaningless, tangible objects that hold no significance.
And there are times when people wear crosses to express a contrary quality. I think of the use of crosses in certain music videos, worn by some artist who advocate violence and obscenity. In these instances, the wearers know the cross holds meaning for Christians, yet they wear the cross to oppose, resent, discredit (or worse) a faith in Christ. Then, the use of the cross becomes unholy thing.
Holding OnI went into the freezer tonight to pull out the meat for supper tomorrow, and I found the kids' last, desperate attempt to hold onto our unseasonal snow as long as possible.
Elegant, sweet, and sadly...temporary.
7 comments:
love the snow!! hohoho!
neat that your kids were 'saving snow!!' love it melody~
we don't get snow often in this part of texas, but i'm a bit glad.. :-) pretty to see/not fun to plow or drive in perhaps?!
thanks for sharing the theology true and false! neat to read your thoughts about each one. :-)
thanks for your comment just now on the blog i posted about india..
i've had these women/people on my heart for a long time.. and while i love the spices, i thought it was timely that the father of my life would 'speak' into that liking of cardamom to his desire for me/us to pray for those persecuted, for those that are being oppressed by the enemy of our souls..
strange enough, but sweet, like you said..
so, yeah~
:-)
oh.. btw!! have a beauty weekend with your family~
happy blogging to you, and you and you!! woohoo!!
Mm, interesting post, particularly because I would have the opposite viewpoint on one or two things; but that's ok. That's what makes friendships interesting. :)
And you can keep your snow. I do not like snow. It's cold & it's wet & I don't like being either lol. Like you I curl up somewhere inviting when the weather turns inclement.
I agree with your theological viewpoints, but more importantly, I think they are sound Biblically. I struggle with that one about praying for folks all the time. I find it easy to pray when I wake up and feel like the Lord is putting someone on my heart, but to devote the time and energy to daily prayer for others the way I should I need to develop a great deal more discipline. I had a prayer journal going off and on for about a year, but I felt like I was getting to the point of just getting stuff written down instead of really praying from the heart. It felt like a task instead of quality time with the Lord. However, I do find that when I am not doing something structured, I just push it to the back of my mind and forget it in the rush of everyday stuff. I think maybe your post has inspired me to get the journal going again. I kept a list of ongoing prayer needs in the back for folks that I promised to pray for, so maybe I'll start that again also. Thanks for the inspiration!
I very rarely tell anyone "I'll pray for you" anymore. Instead, I say these are the two things -->
1) "Let's pray about that together RIGHT NOW"
2) "I prayed for you today"
Your children's "saved" snow looks like one of those Willow Tree carvings - faceless, but beautiful and graced!
Just noticed that the "replies" I've sent to some of your comments at my blogs are going off into deep space rather than getting back to you.
I won't bother repeating myself (even if it would all be new to you), but the freshest reply on my mind is -->
Hope you'll post of photo of those leg warmers you're knitting!!
Hi Melody!
Loved reading this post today! I don't know how I skipped it... weird! Isn't it funny the things that people claim are true and that are false. I hadn't heard of some of the things you had listed... I just thought the 3am in the morning thought was way interesting. I hadn't heard that one before..lol!! I think the same as you.. in the spirit there is no such thing as time, therefore they are not governed by that like we are. So it doesn't matter what time of day you pray.... they have to bow and obey whenever we pray and bind them up in Jesus name.
And I used to be so bound up by the thought on day to day salvation! Glory glory... I am free from that one!!!! Thankyou Jesus! I so agree with you on that one!! Woo hoo! Such a relief to know His grace and love cover a multitude of sins that I don't even know about. Good grief! So glad He knows what I am ready to deal with, and the things that I am not. And until then, I have a place at His table whether or not I am sinfree 1000% or not :) Nobody is sin free. We sin all the time and don't even know that we are sinning. Nobody would get past those gates if that were the case huh??
Hugs.. Amy
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