A Clean Slate

authored on March 30, 2009

Life is full of choices and challenges. None of which can be erased. So often we regret some of the choices we made in our youth. But one can never turn the clock back.

The one thing that truly changed the direction of my life and that brought healing and perspective was the day I realized God’s love for me. I was in to my 25th year of life then. My “fanatic” co-worker decided to peel open his Bible one day, and I, thinking that I knew all about it having read the Gospels in High School and all, had a ton of questions for him. The light came on that day.

Being human, I have made a number of bad choices, and some in God’s name too, but definitely the fact remains that without that healing touch I would be a very different person. I’m definitely not perfect yet. I still get angry, and annoyed, and impatient, and abrasive, and….

Everyone needs a chance in life at a clean slate to start over or even to just continue on. I found mine when my co-worker told me why Jesus Christ came to earth. As God’s Son, He did not have to nor need to, but for one purpose, that to give humankind the option of a clean slate and a future in heaven.

The point of this note, I wish every one a clean slate in life, a new beginning, a fresh start, an opportunity to let go of past “injuries”, by facing them and finding true healing, and the possibility of living without “unreasonable” “social” hangups.

xoxo

#1

When I went to school we got ranked in class by how well we did in comparison to the rest of the class. Year after year final exams came around and I usually made it in the top three. If Ghazala had not been in my class I would likely have made it to #1 more consistently. However, I am glad that Ghazala was in my class even though she almost always took that coveted first position.

Life is like that, someone is always “better” and more experienced and … DARN!!! I think you know what I mean.

In 1982 I learned of God’s everlasting love for me and the whole world of course, but I personally fell in love with Jesus Christ. I had read the gospels in High School as part of the religious education curriculum , and I knew that He was “special”, but in 1982 the light came on.

OK so I am not #1, but God’s everlasting unconditional love makes me feel very special and is heartwarming.

Very recently someone posted this(below) and I am passing it on to you:
The Charlie Schultz (Peanuts) Philosophy
The  following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts‘ comic strip.

You don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.
1. Name  the five wealthiest people in the  world.
2. Name  the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name  the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4  Name  ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name  the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name  the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields, BUT…

The applause dies.

Awards tarnish.

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. Let’s see how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most.

Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken !

 

BUT Then ….

What of all those folk who do receive Nobel prizes and awards.

The world needs folk like them to do the research and find the cures to make life better for the rest of us.

Even the space program is responsible for many useful inventions.

Like Flowers in a Garden

“To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are.”

One of my fb friends posted this quote, so I do not take credit for it except to pass it on to all you folk. I remember only one quote from my school days Principal  from our daily morning assembly, and it ties in with this quote. She said that we are all like flowers in a garden, and it takes the variety to make the garden beautiful.

[quoting Marianne Williamson] Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

For the body is not one member, but many.
If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.
If they were all one member, where would the body be?
But now there are many members, but one body.
And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” …
(1 Corinthians 12:14-21 NASB)

Enjoy the uniqueness of who you are and may your future be bright and fulfilling.

Chariots of Fire

My favourite movie of all time. I’ve only seen it about 10 times, actually I’ve lost count by now, but it’s one of those inspiring movies where I enjoyed the comraderie, the hypocrisy, the greatness of God, the struggle to achieve for a “wreath that perishes”, the superb acting.

Eric Liddell was a man of faith and an athlete. The movie tells of his choice to excercise his gift for running without compromising his faith. My favourite spot in the movie is when he reads a portion from Isaiah 40; God is great, man stumbles and falls, yet, with all of man’s achieving, God is greater still and is ready to give strength to the weary…

Eric was a man of conviction. He stood for God’s will in his life despite the opposition that arose. His conviction earned him due respect even from those who opposed him.

While the main plot is the story of Liddell’s race to achieve the Olympic gold, Abraham’s struggle to run and win an Olympic medal, while facing an identity crisis and anti-semitism, is also a major parallel story line.

I loved the movie, even if Ian Charleson played Eric. Though an unbeliever, Ian’s acting could have cast doubts as to his lack of faith in God. The movie earned every Oscar it got.

Snakes in Unusual Places

I hate snakes with a passion. I used to volunteer at my kids’ school library and would not even shelve a book that had pictures of snakes on the cover. But I heard this in the news very recently and was amused by the “spiritual” twist:

Some Manitoba garter snakes are taking over a nursing home.
In a small town in Manitoba, a tourist attraction turned into something out of a horror movie. The town of Inwood is home to the largest concentration of garter snakes in the world, which is now causing some headaches at a local nursing home.
Nursing home residents are finding snakes in unusual places. …

Selah!!

The Day I Was Down

When I use “Day” in my title for this post it is a day of however long you want it to be; in my case let’s just say it was more than 24 hours.

A few years ago, years that are now in my past and that I do not pre-occupy my thoughts with anymore, I was clouded by a fog such that I had lost a lot of my sense of discernment. I am reminded of the V8 commercial where the guy needs a knock on his head, well that was me. I can’t say that I am very sharp these days either, but some sense has returned to me. It seems like an age old problem though, because even the Lord Jesus lamented that some religious folk in His day “did not recognize the time of [their]your visitation”.

The other day a friend contacted me out of the blue, and in the back of my mind I thought, “God’s doing”. Then , soon after, another friend directed me, along with others, to a webpage, and again the thought came to me, “God’s doing”. Seeing too much in the little incidents of life maybe, or recognizing God subtly nudging me??

OK maybe I do not want what God is offering me and prefer to remain in the dark, so I can ignore the nudging. After all I still have some ongoing unanswered queries. Or I can take the opportunity to experience God’s continued kindness and love extended to me.

It’s like the old story of the man in the flood on a rooftop who cries to God to save him. A boat comes by, but he says, “No, No, God will save me.” A helicopter flies overhead, but he waves it off and cries, “No, No God will save me!” He soon drowns and goes to heaven and asks God why He let him drown. “I didn’t let you drown–I was in that boat, and in that helicopter, but you refused my aid”. God sends those “angels” across our paths to bless and encourage and help us, if we choose to ignore their voices we are shutting our ears to the voice of God. We sometimes want everything to be “mystical” when God will many times use a practical ways to speak to us.

It is a new day.

” Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 3:15, 4:7 NASB)

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

A tragic yet poignant story of 2 women, Mariam and Laila, lived out in the years of political unrest in Afghanistan.

The Incomparable One

He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Son of Man, the Son of God. He is incomparable to any other because he surpasses all in His virtue, righteousness, justice, morality and love.

He walked as a man upon this earth, and and felt the pains and passions of a human being, yet remained pure and holy and true to His calling. He sacrificed connection with His beloved heavenly Father because of what it meant for humanity to bear the sins of the world upon Himself. He suffered the shame of the crucifixion, because of love for His Father and the world.

He had guts, guts to do what was right despite the stigma of society. Guts to preach the truth. Guts to walk with fishermen and dine with tax-getherers. Guts to receive the anointing from a former prostitute. Guts to withstand Satan’s temptations. Guts to speak up against hypocrisy when needed.

He is a Man like none other. He is Jesus Christ. And I belong to His clan.

Titus 2:12-13

[The grace of God] teaches us to say “No” to all ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious apprearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

An excellent read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Brought back memories of the years I spent in Quetta (67-73) just across the border in the same Geographical area. One gets a good feel for the plight of the Afghani people in the story of Amir and his family, while dealing with some matters of the heart as well.

The author is gifted and the story is captivating.