Welcome to the April 25th edition of Faith & Life Lessons.
You will see this email full of tidbits from my week. My goal is simple. I hope that from how I live my life, you can find a thing or two that helps you as you try to live a life that matters. I am always trying to do one thing - make Christ-focused decisions in love, work, and life. And this was my week.
The Story of My Week
I spent the greater part of the week trying to reclaim a sense of intimacy with God.
It wasn't that I was far from God.
I wasn't feeling the emotions. Even though I was feeling the power during my devotions.
I thought maybe I would get it back in the book that I choose to read.
I liked the book - "Still: 7 Ways to Find Calm in the Chaos" by Jenny L. Donnelly.
In some ways, part of her spiritual journey is similar to mine.
I still was not feeling the emotions.
On Saturday, while doing my devotions, I told myself "my intimacy with God is not determined by emotions but by God's Word"
Can you believe that once I said that I felt the flood of emotion?
It seemed like it was God's way of telling me that He should always be the source of sustaining emotions.
I like the emotions of intimacy but when those emotions go away, my assurance of intimacy with God is God.
Only God.
Things I Learnt
1-Thou Shalt Keep it hot: My wife and I had a conversation during the week that made me realize we had become very functional.
When you have young kids in the house, you are focused on keeping everything moving with little room for anything more.
We had become functional and focused on keeping everything running smoothly. But we were doing little to keep the emotions warm.
For example, we hadn't gone on dates recently.
Emotions were warm but not as hot as they should be.
Now we are working on taking the temperature up.
2-When Government Fails: It's pretty difficult to maintain a Christian mind when discussing government failures. In a number of the WhatsApp groups I am on, most people seem to be finding new ways to insult national leadership.
It's with good cause but being a Christian throws away my right to insult leadership.
I keep my mouth shut.
God decided to encourage me through a sermon I listened to near the end of the week.
The preacher explained how God uses even bad leaders to fulfill his purpose. Using contemporary examples, he highlighted how some political leaders in his country were used but in a way that most people did not notice.
Because of that, he has never insulted any political leader for almost 3 decades - even when the general opinion is unfavorable.
And even when he didn't vote for them.
Once they are in office, it is his Christian responsibility to pray for them and not speak negatively to the environment by complaining.
His words were the right reminder for me.
It reminds me of the Israelites. Some of their complaints had hard facts - eating only Manna, no meat, and so on.
But in all, we have a Christian duty not to be complainers.
Even when the political leaders seem to deserve it.
Postscript
May God show you how you can give people around you more grace than they deserve. And may they know how He loves them through you. Amen
Tata,
Tola
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