Holding lightly that which I’ve been given

Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.              Luke 12 :33-34

I started on this post nearly 2 weeks ago – with little more than a title and a quote, I saved it as a draft and forgot about it.  Then, a few days ago, I got a glimpse into what this is really all about.  It’s a bit of a  longish story, but here’s the elevator version:

Lazy morning in our pjs.

Rachel smells something odd.  I do too.

I scan the house to see if anything is melting/burning.

Smoke in the basement.

Get dressed fast.

Call 911

Grab a few “essentials” and get out of the house with child & dog.

First Responders, Fire, Ambulance, Police.

Fire in malfunctioning furnace is extinguished.

Cleanup begins.

 As we were exiting the house, not knowing exactly what was burning, nor how long until it would be extinguished, I briefly considered what I needed to carry out.  I grabbed my cell phone, my purse and my laptop (not sure about that choice but it is the tool of my work).  I wondered if I should take something else but I honestly couldn’t think of anything so precious it needed to be saved.  I knew Rachel was safe, Regis was safe and I would be safe.  (Anthony was at work and therefore not on my list of immediate worries.)  I knew we had appropriate insurance in place.  There was nothing in the house I thought was irreplaceable or that we couldn’t live without.

Rachel felt differently, of course, and worried about her many possessions – toys, stuffed animals, treasures and dolls.  Even the house itself.  It’s the only home she remembers and the thought it might burn was deeply distressing to her. 

Fortunately for us, the fire was soon out and we didn’t have to deal with replacing anything other than the furnace. 

But this whole event got me thinking more about how I need to hold lightly the many material blessings around me – for it all can easily vanish in just the blink of an eye.  If I am holding too tightly to the things that surround me, then those destructible things have become my treasure and the focus of my heart.  And at the end of my life, I don’t want to be found clinging to the moth-ridden, rusted and chipped bits I’ve accumulated when there is so much of obvously greater and eternal value that I might have otherwise set my heart upon.

 

Living more dangerously

A Facebook friend just posed the question: What are your goals for 2012?  Without thinking, I responded “Live dangerously.”

From time to time I hear from someone I know that they admire my risk-taking, usually speaking of my career choices.  But I do not think of myself as anything but risk-averse.  In fact, one of my many jobs requires that I provide lawyers across the country with risk management advice – in other words, I suggest ways to avoid risk.  But maybe the difference is in how we are defining risk.

I recently had an exchange via Twitter with a person I’ve never met but know via his blog which I read faithfully.  He follows me on Twitter and so we know each other a little by what we write.  In any case, I tweeted something to him and then wondered if I’d been too familiar, so I sent a follow up apology.  His response is what has me thinking about all this.  He blew off my apology, told me I worry too much and then said: My wish for you: live life more dangerously.

I was floored by that comment.  A near-total stranger completely pegged me.  I am too often worried by what might be, what others might think, what could happen if….  That’s a limiting way to live, and some might even say, not living at all.

If my faith in God means anything at all, I have to take seriously these words from Luke 12:

 “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as towhat you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? ²⁶ If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.²⁸ But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! ²⁹ And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. ³⁰ For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹ But seek His kingdom, andthese things will be added to you. ³² Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

So that’s my plan for 2012 and beyond.  Less worry, more living without fear.  That’s what I mean by living dangerously.

Why go all the way to India?

This is a question that I have really been thinking about.  After all, there are people to love and serve all around me – whether in the inner city, in my local town or in isolated communities around Manitoba. 

In today’s news I read about federal efforts to improve access to clean, safe water and sanitation in Island Lakes.  While I applaud the steps to be taken, this represents literally just a “drop in the bucket.”

   

I was recently deeply impacted by a presentation by Rick Greer about the work of Pathway Camp Ministries in offering day camp activities to First Nation communities in Manitoba each summer.  Rick spoke passionately about the needs of the youth of those communities – for something to do, for one-on-one attention, for education, for hope for the future.  This is a great example of the kind of needs I can easily find and support without flying across the ocean.

So why am I going to India? 

Good question.  I’ve no plans to uproot my family to work there.  I may never go back again.  And increasingly, I am sensing that the call I am feeling to go and serve will take me into contact with First Nation communities, though I’ve no idea of what that will mean exactly.

I look at this journey to India as the preparation for whatever comes next for me.  It’s my education in serving the “least of these”  and in loving the unloved.  I know this experience will change me forever and hopefully for better.  I have no doubt that dealing with the challenges and obstacles our team will encounter and that I personally will come up against, will provide the best kind of training for what lies ahead in my life.

Losing myself

It’s not uncommon to hear of a person going to India to “find themself.”  I’m not entirely certain of the meaning of that phrase nor that there is just one meaning, but for me, it brings to mind interior journeys of self-discovery and exploration of who one really is.  In other words, it is all about self-focus.  A recent example of this kind of journey is found in the novel (and the movie based on the novel) Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  In the story, the author goes to India to learn to pray (having already learned to eat in Italy and not yet having gone to Indonesia to learn to love again) and there finds her spiritual self.

I’m a little old for finding myself but I hope I’m not yet too old to lose myself.  One of my selfish hopes for this journey to India is that I will lose my self, or more particularly, my self-consciousness there.  In my day-to-day life I so often find myself absorbed by efforts to break through the inhibitions that prevent me from taking action or responding to a situation or emotion in a way that feels natural.  This applies to how I respond to those around me as well as I how respond in worship.

I was recently in Asheville with a number of work colleagues.  One night, there was a kind of tribal drumming event in the town square.  My friend Su from Vancouver went to the event on her own and was so moved by the music she heard that she soon borrowed a drum and began to play and dance along with the others in the square.  I know that had I been there I would have longed to do the same, but this self-monitor I carry with me would have prevented me from joining in the fun.

It seems to me that it’s time that I stop letting worry about the reactions and perspectives of others determine my own actions.  I have this idea that something I see or do in India, or the people I meet there, will spur me to change in this area.  I hope that I will be inspired out of my self-consciousness, away from focusing on myself and how I am perceived by others.  I hope I will return more conscious of the circumstances and concerns of those around me which necessarily get obstructed from my view when my focus is so completely on myself.  I hope I will return able to speak the words that form, to dance the rhythms of the songs that sound and to actively display the love that resides in my heart.

I can’t do this alone.

Dear Friends & Family,

I am writing to let you know about the opportunity I have to put my faith into action in India early next year.

I will be joining a team of eight from Whyte Ridge Baptist Church that will be embarking on a 17-day journey to Northeast India in March 2012 with Far Corners Ministry.   Far Corners Ministry exists to support the growing church in Northeast India by training local pastors and lay leaders, building churches, and helping the poor.

The details of our trip are as follows (as best we know at this point):

When:             March 1 – 17, 2012

Where:           West Bengal, India

Why:               We will support Christian churches in West Bengal by providing theological training to pastors and their wives through a series of three conferences to be held in three locations throughout the state.  In addition, we will be distributing necessary supplies to the poor in these areas – fundraising for these supplies is underway through Whyte Ridge Baptist Church with items to be purchased locally in India.

How:               I cannot do take this step of faith without your support.

Prayer Support:          This is a brand new experience for me and will challenge me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  I ask for your prayer support for me personally as I follow the path laid out before me and as I encounter obstacles along that path.  Please pray also for the effectiveness of our team, for safety in our travels and for the children and spouses left at home.

Financial Support: Team members are each expected to raise a minimum of $2000 toward the total participation cost of $3500 per person with the balance to be provided through the budget of Whyte Ridge Baptist Church.

I am thrilled to be part of this journey to the far corners of India and to be able to have the experience of seeing firsthand the work of God in the Indian church.   I hope you will consider sharing with me in this opportunity by committing your support, whether in prayer or financially or both.   To provide financial support, please print and fill in the Financial Support Attachment, make your cheque out to Whyte Ridge Baptist Church and send both to:

Whyte Ridge Baptist Church

ATTN:  Pastor Kevin Klassen

201 Scurfield Blvd.

Winnipeg, MB R3Y 1A5

If you have any questions or need more information, please do contact me and to follow the progress of my preparations and for updates as we travel, please keep visiting this blog

Gratefully yours,

Karen

A Little Greek Lesson: Parakletos

This song by Tenth Avenue North speaks of walking by the side of another in need.  It is a song that I love, especially these lines that aren’t really relevant to this post but completely describe my life:

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don’t turn away
Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I’m not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

But today I heard it in a different way and it took me back to a sermon I heard a few years ago about the Greek word “parakletos” which is sometimes translated as advocate, but really means something more along the lines of one who comes to the aid of another.

This is a concept that really grabs my attention.  What I like best about the practice of law is that it provides countless opportunities to walk along side another and come to their aid, as necessary.  This is the kind of advocacy that drew me to the study of law.

I came across this online Bible study that nicely summarizes the details on the Biblical use of this word. The reason all this is relevant is that I see the work we’ll be doing in India as walking along side our Christian sisters and brothers, loving them, supporting them, teaching & being taught, and providing aid as needed.  We are there in a “parakletos” kind of role – as true advocates.  I am comforted by this, because though I feel wholly unqualified to go across the world to teach church leaders, I am completely comfortable with the idea of going there as an advocate, walking side by side and providing the help that may be needed.