Posted on 01/05/2007 9:36:30 AM PST by Gamecock
It’s one of life’s ironies - I guess one of the great parenting dilemmas.
Do we want our children to be comfortable or to have character? The short answer may be both, but I’m not sure how that shakes out. If we must choose one, it would have to be character and that comes from facing challenges. So much for comfort.
Author Rick Warren says God is more interested in our character than our comfort. That may be a shock to us because we often view God as one who spends his time removing obstacles from our paths and making our lives ever easier and more pleasant.
But Warren is right, God is more interested in us becoming mature than comfortable. He allows trials in our lives for the very reason that he wants us to grow from them. James says we should rejoice in this because it exercises our faith and makes us better and stronger.
Since God is the ultimate parent, it is a lesson for us, then. What is our purpose as parents – to instill character in our children, or to spend our time, money and effort quenching their every thirst, satisfying their every need and making their lives as stress free as humanly possible?
Don’t get me wrong, I believe we should make our children’s lives as pleasant as we can, to a point. We have a dachshund who thinks he’s a person. I feel it is my job to make his life as comfortable as possible. He has no character and he’s not supposed to, but it lowers my blood pressure to see him warm and fed. He gives me feelings of comfort when he sleeps in my lap and that’s why he was created.
But my children were not created for my pleasure. They were created for God’s pleasure and he needs them to have character, to grow in maturity and to possess self-discipline. I simply have the privilege of being one of their guardians for a season. So we let the dog sleep in, but we see to it that they get up, dressed and to school on time.
This is a bit counter to the culture, but what wisdom isn’t? I saw a commercial the other day that advertised a new device that will take the wrapping off of your new CDs and DVDs. For only $20, you no longer have to find a knife or car key to rip off the cellophane. I’m not even saying it’s a bad idea, I’m just saying our culture continually tells us to take life easy, be a person of leisure – to be lazy.
What is character, anyway? Warren says it is the sum of our habits. It is how we act and react to the world around us. If we get everything we want or always get our way, we may become spoiled. We may be shocked when our teachers and bosses aren’t as interested in our leisure as our parents were.
If we are allowed to watch or listen to everything our little heart desires, we may mirror that behavior. If we are never taught manners, it will affect our future relationships. If we are not taught respect, it can get us into a lot of trouble and heartache later. If we are not taught fiscal responsibility when we are young, it can really bite us when we get out on our own.
You get the idea. So, what is your goal as a parent – to make your children comfortable or to instill character in them? The world is waiting and watching. And hoping.
Of course my devotion and allegiance is first, foremost, middle, last and always to Jesus Christ.
I believe RW teaches the whole Gospel--though I don't know where he stands on Pentecostal sorts of stuf and whether he leaves I Cor 12-14/Acts 2 out or not. But in terms of what is commonly thought of as The Gospel, I believe he teaches all of it.
Not that I believe he does that in all venues in all respects. Neither do most others.
The Grahams are probably as hard hittng on that score as anyone . . . along with some hard driving fierce Pentecostal folks.
But I believe that if one sat in RW's churh for however many weeks, one would hear a robust amount of the Gospel preached and particularly taught in classes and small groups.
I read it in his materials and see it in everything he does. It's just not packaged in the shrill terms some seem to expect. But it's there in all it's Biblical authenticity.
I have considered the criticisms as I've read them. They have not rang sufficiently true for me to get on a hobby horse about them.
He has been counseled that he needed to have handled the Syria thing differently and that he needs to come forward more forthrightly about it than he has. What he will do, I don't know.
He seems to be a LOT more teachable than a lot of other Christians I know.
Thank you for your thoughtful response.
I happen to have PDL. Have read significant portions of it. I have no trouble with RW's use of Scripture in PDL.
It's odd that others do. Amazing.
And I'm a Bible thump-em-over the head fellow from way back.
When next I read PDL, I will pay extra close attention to his use of Scripture and see if I can find fault with it.
But then, that wouldn't be very Christ-like, would it. Maybe I won't.
Thinking they contain more than that equates them with inspired scriptures,
= = = =
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, no.
God has taught me many Scriptural principles from . . .
pagans,
Science fiction novels,
Newspaper articles,
History,
Movies,
Plays,
Songs,
Walks in the forest,
Cartoons,
Comics,
. . .
Why should Macabees be any different?
Quite so.
Thank you for your beautiful testimony and exhortations!
Me too, Brother. (:
Great Catholic theology.
Isn't it any surprise that most "Protestants" cannot tell the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism?
= = = =
I do not receive this inaccurate broadside.
BTW, my dissertation project was on differences in belief and practice, actions, behavior. I know a little bit about that. But I have long since lost my OBSESSIVE/compulsive habit, determination and insecurity based NEED to pigeon-hole everyone & everything into tidy little slots.
People are messy and life is messy. I've learned, mostly, to deal with it.
As George Kelley--the author of one of the massively potent analysis tools--the KELLY GRID--used in my dissertation--asserted--PEOPLE ARE MOVEMENT. We are not [at least most of us--LOL] granite monoliths moving only slowly with the earth's crustal plates. We change almost moment by moment as his statistical tool proved conclusively.
And that is within our own value systems--not to mention the boundary forays and changes we make routinely.
I'm confident that when God looks at us and looks at our hearts . . . HE DOES NOT first, if at all, wade through some feet thick curtain/screen of ROMAN CATHOLIC/PROTESTANT hogwash.
It is my experience that it is His habit to zero in on the HEART ATTITUDE first--foremost and often only. If the heart attitude is teachable and earnestly AFTER HIM--even fractionally--HE'LL GO FOR IT. If not, He'll try and soften and woo--maybe allow enough rope to convince of a wholesale need of Him. But HE does not get bogged down in fruitless categories.
With HIM everything is heart attitude. The rest is window dressing, details, chaff.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
1. There's nothing Roman/not Roman about God using all in His creation to bring His kids home to him/closer to Him. He IS, after all, God Almighty.
He can and does do jolly well what HE WISHES with HIS CREATION and HIS critters.
2. I used to be amazed at what God would use in my life to teach me and draw me closer to Him. There was a year in Univ where another decidedly bird-of-rare-plumage befriended me, camped and river ran with me; taught me photography . . . and a LOT about Christianity--though he was mostly hostile to it and is still mostly a hippie living on an island off Australia doing wildlife research. He probably saved my life that year. And he was MUCH MORE Christian in attitude and behvior toward me than the local Assembly of God pastor and a list of other supposedly "closer" Christians in my network.
God has done that sort of thing repeatedly throughout my life.
He soon made me realize that often, folks in THE CHURCH are so locked into death grips on their own narrow constructions on reality that they are relatively unuseable by Him in lists of ways. So, He HAS to use other means and tools to lead and help people or make THEM (the SHOULD-BE-USEFUL "believers")--MAKE THEM robots--which He refuses to do.
3. I'm still somewhat shocked about how quickly, confidently, narrowly folks are ready to tell God WHAT GOD CAN'T or won't do. One would think THE BOSS would have some privileges.
4. Slotting, cramming beliefs and practices into narrow, rigid, white-washed, polished, buffed, 'sanctified,' 'pure,' prissy, puffed-up, . . . . buckets, file drawers, categories . . . may be pseud-comforting for the obsessive, the insecure, the controlling, the arrogant, the REACTIVE ATTACHMENT DISORDERED, the emotionally disconnected, the cold, the isolated, the hurting . . .
abroad in the world and abroad in our churches--and well I know the phenomena--having lived it out vividly and abusively for several decades.
But GOD HIMSELF HAS FOUGHT A RELENTLESS BATTLE AGAINST SUCH--EVEN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT--and even against HIS OWN ESTABLISHED rules and categories when folks, as usual, began to quickly make OF THE RULES, WAYS AND STANDARDS--A GOD.
We are CREATED for RELATIONSHIP. Stereotypic categorizing boggs down; stultifies; fossilizes; encrusts; attempts to solidify and ultimately KILLS relationship.
GOD DEMANDS that we relate to Him 'on the fly' . . . TRUST HIM WITH OUR ALL . . . on the fly . . . WITHOUT ANY OTHER RELIABLE HOOKS, guide-posts, shelters, foundations, light-houses, harbors . . . anything. GOD ALONE.
Sometimes, He even makes it an eternal life/death issue. But all the time, ONLY THOSE SO TRUSTING WILL KNOW HIS INTIMACY.
And, no, we can't muster such trust on our own. But we can and must cooperate WITH HIM to become infected with that level of trust.
And, He is a very good author and finisher of our faith and of us--as we cooperate with Him.
It's a dance folks. Listen to His heart. Listen to the music.
Thanks for your beautful encouragement. You tring to make me cry?
LOL.
Thank you Quix. Will look at posts #36 and 70 later today.
jm
[... God is more interested in our character than our comfort...]
Pastors have been using this line long before Warren came along, including Billy Graham and J. Vernon McGee. It's as old as ... well, it's as old as I am.
... and no matter who says it, I am still convicted by it's meaning.
we often view God as one who spends his time removing obstacles from our paths and making our lives ever easier and more pleasant.
What religion is that? I don't think I've ever heard anything like that.
Tears for joy, my dear brother in Christ! Count it all joy.
Extraneous materials, however pleasing and comforting, are subject to error and should be carefully scurtinized-not considered "inspirational". While I might appear harsh to our Orthodox and Catholic friends who tradition DOES include extraneous material, I would simply remind Protestants of their heritage.
2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
= ==
ABSOLUTLELY TRUE.
Actually, I think I agree with your whole post.
Blessings,
AMEN.
THX
My Bible mentions . . .
NOW, THE COMFORTER HAS COME.
Have those verses been rescinded?
I realize Hannah W Smith's THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT was not very comforting initially . . . but I still contend that God IS in the comforting business.
Of course, He tends to require that we give up all we hold dear including our life; our rights; our opinions; . . . the whole list . . .
to experience the most of HIS COMFORTS . . . but I've found the exchange worthwhile . . . and . . . eventually, very comforting.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.