Month: March 2020

I don’t consider myself a ‘touchy-feely’ person. I once heard an experienced lady who works cross-culturally advise singles to pay for a weekly massage so as to satisfy the need for ‘physical touch’. I spun around when I heard her words, my brows furrowed, though perhaps that had more to do with the traumatic therapeutic massage I had endured not long before. I have since come to enjoy socialising over relaxation massages in places where it is affordable. But it wouldn’t have been my top tip for how singles can thrive.

That lady must be suffering more than most from a lack of touch now. The official advice these days, of course, is ‘social distancing’, and not to go out at all if you can avoid it. For those of us living on our own, that means no touch … not with another human being, anyhow.

Don’t feel bad for me. Not only am I not particularly touchy-feely, but I also have a fat black cat to pat. Her Feline Highness was curled by my feet as I studied a BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) lesson this week on my own rather than in class. The theme of ‘touch’ stood out to me from the tale of the conversion of Saul / Paul on the road to Damascus. And I hadn’t realised just how much waiting, isolated from his new community, the poor man had to endure just a few weeks later.  

Saul / Paul

Saul stormed along the road to Damascus. A proud and passionate member of the Sanhedrin, Saul was determined to squash this sect which promoted the crucified Jesus as the Messiah. And then, as you know, he was suddenly brought to his knees by a blinding light. 

No longer proud or powerful, and unable to see, Saul’s friends led him by the hand into the city of Damascus. There, he prayed and fasted for the next three days. Ananias, a devout follower of Jesus, was then specifically directed by God to go and place his hands on Saul in order that his sight would be restored, just as Saul had seen in a vision. 

Lectio Divina is a lovely method of Bible meditation in which you look for what strikes you. As I read this particular passage from Acts 9, what jumped out at me was the contrast between Saul striding independently before his Damascus Road experience and the physical human contact between the humbled Saul and the people around him afterwards.

It takes humility to let others into our personal space. Perhaps I noticed that because of the absence of human touch in our lives these days. 

Waiting … for how long?

Saul was most clearly called by the risen Jesus himself to a very exciting ministry. That is eminently clear. Although he tried to get started on fulfilling his call right away, it soon became apparent that he had to wait. And wait. And wait some more. Our BSF notes said that he likely waited about nine years before his ministry finally gathered momentum. 

We all know a bit about waiting. Here in Melbourne, as in much of the world, in our socially distanced society, many of us can only wait.  Those who have useful skills during this crisis work hard and we are … or certainly should be … very grateful to them. Now more than ever, I honour healthcare workers, providers of essential services and, often unappreciated, our politicians who have to make horribly difficult calls about strategies that affect the lives of millions. 

The rest of us just wait. We wait for permission to touch again. We wait to resume life as best we can after such a crisis.

Psychologists tell us that it helps to know how long we have to wait. That’s why there are estimated travel time signs on the freeway and regularly updated reports of where we are in the queue when we are on hold on the phone. But, right now, we don’t know how long we have to wait. Some people don’t even know if they or people they love will even make it through this time. We can only wait. And wait some more.

Filling our days

Don’t worry about me. I have plenty to get on with while waiting. I am blessed in that about half of my regular activities are largely done online or at a desk anyhow, and they have quickly expanded to more than fill each day.  Somehow I still run out of time each day to wash the windows. 

Not so the lovely coaches at the ladies gym I used to frequent. (Actually, I still do online workouts distributed by the franchise. It benefits me and the business owner but not the coaches.) I called the proprieter of a fairly new cafe near my home, hoping that they did takeaway … but they don’t.  A massage therapist friend a few streets away is still legally allowed to provide remedial massages as medical treatment, but is it worth the risk? A hairdresser friend who owns her own business has the same dilemma. 

And that’s only my community. The fall out in our globalised world from both the virus and the economic repercussions is unfathomable.

Many of us try to do replicate something of our ‘normal lives’ in a socially distanced way, church included. Some of us are on a steep learning curve with technology. That includes a calm and collected British vicar, who gave many people a chuckle earlier in the week. He was speaking on the topic of waiting to hear from God while broadcasting the church service online. He was sitting a little too close to some candles. Suddenly his jumper (sweater) caught alight! He was unharmed, could see the funny side of it and has shared the moment with the world in a clip which went viral in the best sense of the word. If you’re interested, have a look at the video embedded in this article:  https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2020-03-21/oh-dear-i-ve-just-caught-fire-plymouth-vicar-has-close-call-during-online-sermon/  

Waiting submissively

I began this blog post by referring to how the significance of ‘touch’ in the story of Paul’s Damascus Road jumped out at me. Let me finish by sharing a couple of challenges that the BSF notes made which particularly resonated with me, bearing in mind that the notes were produced at least a year ago before any of this global COVID-19 chaos was ever even imagined.  They just happened to be distributed here in Australia for study two weeks ago … what good timing.

“Who or what has been torn away from you through suffering, separation or death? Have you been propelled into an unexpected, unfamiliar territory in a relationship, career path, financial crisis or illness? Hurts and loss strengthen our desire to heal and thrive. “

 (Bible Study Fellowship notes for lesson 6 of ‘Acts and the Letters of the Apostles’ page 1)

Most human interaction, visiting family members, swimming most days, exercise with friends, teaching and learning face-to-face, access to the library, enjoying the cafe culture, weekly Bible study and prayer with others … the list of what has been torn away from me is comparatively short compared to those of many others. Needless to say, the BSF study has been timely.

The BSF notes finished with several challenges, but it was the ‘waiting’ one that stood out to me.

“Joyful submission to waiting produces humility, trust and patience. …. Are you patiently and actively waiting….?” 

 (Bible Study Fellowship notes for lesson 6 of ‘Acts and the Letters of the Apostles’ page 4)

A favourite verse in context

The great apostle to us Gentiles, that same one who waited for years between his dramatic call to Christian ministry and actually getting underway, put it like this: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV).  If you look up that passage, you’ll see that the broader context is about waiting … waiting patiently … waiting with hope even as all of creation groans in frustration and pain. 

 The cat rubs against my legs, her shiny black coat leaving hairs all over my exercise pants. It must be almost dinner time. I delay, enjoying the warmth of living flesh against my own. 

And so we wait.  We wait patiently. Okay, so perhaps only the human in this household waits patiently … today, at least.

Throughout it all, I am grateful for the non-physical ways my spirit is touched by those around me, even if our skin can’t come within 1.5 metres of anyone else for who knows how long.  Like us all, I am getting on with life the best I can. And I wait.

You hear the news. Your heart pounds. Your chest feels tight. You clench your teeth. You hunch your shoulders. Your mind races in a million directions.

You’re watching the TV news. 

A sign was taped to the TV at the aged care home I visited today. “In the interest of mental health, please do not watch the TV news in common areas. Residents may watch the news in their own rooms. Programs viewed in common areas are restricted to those with positive content.”

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
 I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10) 

Six degrees of separation

You know someone who knows someone who might have the virus. You saw ‘your’ someone just days ago and that someone saw ‘their’ someone a few days before that.

Your mind manically goes through the list of everyone you have seen over the last couple of days. You swallow hard, trying to sense if your throat is at all sore. Is that the start of a tickle? Is your chest a little tight? Is your forehead a touch warm? 

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
 I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10) 

Sitting

Today I walked by the river. I stopped and sat on a fallen log. The sun warmed my back. I admired the delicacy of a sprig of ‘Patterson’s Curse’, even though I know it’s officially a weed. A lizard darted in front of me.

I just sat, trying to still my busy mind. 

I remembered sitting along this same stretch of river almost five years ago, trying as best I could ‘to be still and know’ that Yahweh is God. That was just before a six-week patch when I would have radiation five days a week and chemo once a week. Back then, the odds of being able to be there again today weren’t even. 

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
 I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10) 

Still

When we stop, be still and focus on the God who is exalted, our jaws relax, our breathing slows and our galloping hearts settle into gentle rhythms.

Nothing has changed.

Yet everything has changed. 

I am over-the-moon grateful to be strong and healthy today. But even if I weren’t … even if things hadn’t turned out the way I had hoped and prayed for … God would still be God. 

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
 I will be exalted in the earth.”

Help us, exalted Lord, to be still. 

What does COVID-19 have to do with ‘pure joy’? 

Not much, I admit, except that it comes under the umbrella of what ‘Old Camel Knees’ calls ‘trials of many kinds’.  

James 1:2 says, “Consider it pure joy … whenever you face trials of many kinds….” (James 1:2 NIV).  Pure joy? Consider the tense times in which we live ‘pure joy’? The financial turmoil that many individuals and small businesses are facing as a result of the pandemic cannot be considered ‘pure joy’. The pain and suffering that some patients are enduring and the worry and even grief of their loved ones cannot be considered ‘pure joy’. Even the temporary inconvenience of supermarket shelves being empty and staples unavailable cannot be considered ‘pure joy’.

No. That was never the writer’s intent. It is not the trials that Christians are to consider ‘pure joy’. It is the opportunity to face such trials – we are instructed to consider that opportunity ‘pure joy’. 

That doesn’t sound much better. 

‘Old Camel Knees’

What out-of-touch-with-reality person would write such a thing?

‘Old Camel Knees’ was his nickname. We know him better as ‘James’, the author of the Biblical letter that bears his name. It is generally thought that he was the brother or cousin of our Lord Jesus during his days on earth.  Only after witnessing Jesus’ death and resurrection did he become a follower of Christ. He quickly rose to a senior position in the church. 

History suggests that James was a man of prayer. It was his custom to kneel to pray, hence the calloused knees and the nickname. And he knew a thing or two about trials. 

James was a senior leader in the early church which had been decimated by persecution. He had witnessed a lot and likely endured plenty too. Indeed, it would only be a matter of time before James would be martyred. Tradition suggests that he was thrown from a pinnacle of the temple and finished off by stoning. I wonder if he considered the opportunity to face THAT ‘pure joy’?

Scattered Christians

As for the original readers, they also knew a thing or two about trials. James addressed his readers as ‘the twelve tribes scattered among the nations’ (James 1:1). We know from history that the early Christian Jews scattered because of intense persecution (Acts 8:1). 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds….” (James 1:2). I wonder what kinds of trials they had faced? Did they know something of the trauma, the financial hardships and the ignominy of refugees today? Did they continue to face discrimination and poverty because of their faith, even in other parts of the empire? 

The plight of refugees is a major theme in Scripture. It’s easy to lose sight of that. But I shall hold that thought for another time. Right now, I’m writing from a perspective of our community facing another kind of trial … plague.

A promise and a warning

Having established that both the writer and the original recipients of this letter understood trials, let us now turn our attention to why on earth ‘Old Camel Knees’ would instruct Christians to consider facing trials of many kinds as ‘pure joy’.

In what I am about to share, I am indebted to John Piper’s excellent pair of short meditations on the passage and recommend them to you. They can be found here:  https://www.desiringgod.org/scripture/james/1/labs

The reason Old Camel Knees exhorts his readers to consider facing trials as pure joy is that standing firm under trials brings life. That’s how he put it in James 1, anyhow. His argument goes like this: 

Standing steadfast under trial —> perseverance —> maturity and wholeness —> the crown of life (James 1:2-4, 12)

In contrast, James then describes the slippery slope of temptation. He actually used a slightly different Greek word for ‘temptation’ than ‘trial’ in this next section, though he clearly links the two. That argument goes like this:

Temptation —> dragged and enticed by evil desires within —> sin —> death

Ancient angst

Was James suggesting that we are saved because we stand firm under trial?  After all, he wrote, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12 NIV)

The second scenario (temptation —> enticement —> sin —> death) is sobering, but it is helpful to remember that there is always the opportunity of repentance this side of death. It is also helpful to notice that temptation itself is not sin. It only leads to sin if we allow ourselves to be dragged and enticed by evil desires. 

Perhaps a better question to ask, though still sobering, is this: Does my perseverance under trial prove my love for God? 

(Actually, I am not alone in my discomfort about James’ emphasis on ‘works’. The issue of ‘grace’ versus ‘works’ has been hotly debated for at least as long as the church has been in existence. Both grace and works are taught in the Bible. We’re saved BY grace FOR good works. It isn’t an either-or option.)

COVID-19

So what does all this have to do with COVID-19? 

It’s all about our attitude. ‘Managing our minds’ has been a theme in my writing for a while, and this week’s blog post is no different. 

Will I approach this time of crisis in my community with an attitude that comes from being rooted and centred in Christ?

Will my church be a centre of stability and hope during these days of chaos?

Will we even go so far as to ‘consider it pure joy’ that we get to stand firm as Christ’s followers during this trial, confident in Christ come what may? 

I’m not saying that we should ignore our feelings and pretend that we’re okay. That would be akin to lying … lying to ourselves, to others and even to God. I am just saying that we must choose to think wisely, as mature Christians. We can go through this particular trial as Christians with a strength that comes from the Holy Spirit.

It’s all very well for me to write these words from the comfort of my home in a comparatively calm corner of the globe. I haven’t been quarantined for weeks on end, physically isolated from my community, with no meaningful work to fill my days. I haven’t watched family or friends struggle to breathe because of the infection, let alone been infected myself. And I don’t want to, either. 

All I have experienced personally so far has been the loss of my regular Sunday morning worship service (but our small group time is ever so more meaningful) and the concern of being almost out of the cat’s preferred litter.

A challenge

I sense that God’s challenge for me this week is this: Will I consider it ‘pure joy’ when I face trials of many kinds? 

Specifically, will I stay centred in Christ as the threat to my community becomes every greater over the coming weeks? Will WE stay centred in Christ as his community in this place? How will I manage my mind?

Christian people the world over are praying earnestly for an end to this epidemic. I see prayerful claims of ‘victory over the virus’ (nice alliteration … surely God will be impressed). I have been moved by a calls for prayers that God would preserve the lives of particular loved ones. I am not saying we should not ask for what we need. Of course we should.

But am I also praying that Christians will stand firm in the face of these trials? Am I praying that those affected will think and interact and live in such a way that reflects our grounded-ness in God and brings him glory? Am I praying that my brothers and sisters in Christ will be radiate peace in the midst of panic? And am I living it myself? 

To be honest, I don’t really know to pray. Or how to act. Thankfully, Old Camel Knees reminds us that God is the source of wisdom and we need but ask for it. He also reassures us that “God … gives generously to all without finding fault” (James 1:5). I don’t have to ‘have it all together’. I don’t need to know the answers. 

An ancient Israelite king led the people in a powerful prayer during a time of crisis. They prayed, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12b). Perhaps that prayer is enough for us too.

Another chocolate muffin?

Today’s blog post has been heavy. Let me finish on a lighter note. Chocolate muffins. 

I currently have several delicious chocolate muffins in my freezer.  They were a gift. I had thought that freezing them would prevent me from overindulging, but I have since discovered that frozen chocolate muffins are even better than fresh ones. Not helpful. 

It’s fine to have an occasional treat. I’m currently tracking what I eat on an app and my FitBit keeps track of how much I exercise. A treat is just fine so long as energy input doesn’t regularly exceed energy expenditure.

I sat on my porch yesterday afternoon. It was a glorious autumn day. As I meditated on James 1,  I enjoyed a chocolate muffin. But they are rather small. A second would be nice. And it is Sunday … a day of rest … a day when the rules don’t apply … right? 

The desire for another chocolate muffin is surely not a trial. But it is a temptation. Almost two thousand years ago, the man of prayer known as ‘Old Camel Knees’ also wrote that, “… each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed….” 

Hmmm … the desire for a second muffin isn’t sin, but my evil desires are indeed dragging me away and enticing me. Sin is getting closer.  

Wisdom is needed. And acknowledgement that this is a temptation. I guess that being ‘real’ about where I am at is wisdom.

Right. It’s clearly time for a walk. Not for a second muffin. 

The unchanging Father of heavenly lights

Treats are not bad. James went on to write, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows….” (James 1:16-17).  Surely chocolate is a gift of God … in moderation. 

And as we face much MUCH bigger issues than chocolate muffins, we can also face them confident that we belong to the one who does not change like shifting shadows.

It took quite some mental gymnastics to consider the opportunity to resist a second muffin ‘pure joy’. My initial response to the desire was not, “Oh goodie, I get to persevere.” And I certainly wouldn’t have even attempted to consider that opportunity ’pure joy’ had I not been in James 1 right there and then. 

Let me add that only one muffin was consumed in the production of this week’s blog post.

Managing my mind in ‘real trials’ is going to take a bit more mental discipline.

It was the 24th February 2020 according to my calendar. It was also the first day of the Tibetan Year of the Rat in the year 2147 in the Tibetan calendar. And it was my first day back at the desk after a long time away with travel and then a little annual leave.

It was time to implement my New Year’s Resolution. 

Let me copy what I penned in my journal that day as I devoutly started the semester with a mini-retreat.

“An eagle soars high above, its beady eyes scanning the landscape beneath. It takes in everything yet is distracted by nothing. Its purpose is clear. Food.

“Once it spots its prey, it zooms in, feet down, claws outstretched, and grabs it. 

“Violent, that picture is, but helpful as I think about my attitude to life. This year, with God’s help, I will be more like a soaring eagle and less like a playful puppy.” 

Actually, my ‘official’ New Year’s Resolution is less vivid but it’s along the same lines. My resolution is to put in solid blocks of time at my desk each day. 

Today’s Priority

Today is Saturday. It’s my chance to catch up with domesticity. I jot a list of tasks I would like to achieve before the day is out. My top priority today, however, is to write. To write this blog post, in particular. I write because it sharpens my focus. I write because I sense that God has asked that of me. And if you find it helpful to read along, that’s nice. 

First, though, I put on a load of laundry. Then I sit on the bed and read a chapter of my ‘Qualitative Analysis’ book for college, because the cat doesn’t like the washing machine and I like to think that she appreciates my presence as she quakes at the spin cycle. Then I hang out the washing and think about cutting the grass. No … I don’t want the clean clothes to get grassy … the grass can wait until this evening. I clean out one shelf of the pantry, as planned, but then go on to a second because it was there. I’m almost out of eggs and coconut oil. And toilet paper. Perhaps I will walk to the shops and get some exercise … later. Right now, I must FOCUS. 

I switch on the computer. Oh look – new emails. In response to one, I rework a rather important document … several times over, actually. In response to another, I message a friend, and then we chat for a while. By now, the day is slipping by. If I am going to walk to the shops, I had best go now.

After a lovely walk, I come home with eggs, coconut oil, a locally grown zucchini and pesto. There is still no toilet paper to be bought for love or money because panic has made some people in Australia act strangely. 

And now … FOCUS.  

Though my freshly washed clothes are dry now. And then I could cut the grass.

Biblical Insights?

I move away from the computer and any other distracting gadget in order to brainstorm the outline for this blog post. Is it ridiculous, I wonder, to ask if the Bible has any advice about how to focus? After all, to separate secular and spiritual is just a modern idea (post-Enlightenment) and not particularly Biblical. 

A line of Scripture from a song springs to mind: “Give me a totally undivided heart….”  What is that song? What Psalm is it from? I dare not switch on a gadget to use the Bible concordance or to find the song, because I just KNOW that I will get distracted.

(PS The verse about having ‘an undivided heart’ comes from Psalm 86:11, and the prayer is that God will ‘unite our hearts’ so that we may fear his name. I had been meditating on that the day that I wrote the opening section of this post about a soaring eagle. The song I am humming is called ‘Purify my heart,’ by Eugene Greco.) 

I think it is okay to ask God to help me focus not only on him, but also on the work to which he has called me. It doesn’t mean that other necessary and valuable tasks don’t get done. But it does mean that I focus … with his help.

Strategies

There are a few strategies that help me as I struggle to focus. They are (1) mind management, (2) the pomodoro technique and (3) temptation identification. 

Managing our minds is something that the Bible exhorts us to do over and over, though it’s normally in the context of meditating on God and his word. I have written on this before. Surely the discipline of mind management plays into my current dilemma of being distracted by good and necessary but lower priority tasks and opportunities.

The pomodoro technique is something that I picked up through an online writing class I took a couple of years ago. In short, you take a timer, set it for 25 minutes, and then start writing, ready or not. The Italian man who copyrighted the concept, a university student struggling to focus, had an oven timer shaped like a tomato. ‘Pomodoro’ is Italian for ‘tomato’. Yes, it’s that simple. 

Temptation come in many forms. Had I had my computer, phone or iPad at hand when I started to draft this article, I would have used it to look up the lyrics to that song or the Psalm I referred to earlier. However, the chances are that I once I got online, I would have also checked the news headlines, glanced at social media, checked emails and seen then paid my gas bill. These things are not temptations in and of themselves. The temptation is simply that I do not focus on what needs to be priority right then and there. That’s why I chose to move away from my gadgets and use good old-fashioned paper for a first draft. 

I implemented these three strategies, despite the grass still being long, the clothes ready to bring inside and the desire to cook banana muffins titillating the edge of my consciousness. And what do you know? It’s still Saturday and this post is written! 

A Day at a Time

It’s been 13 days since I implemented my New Year’s Resolution. So far, it’s actually gone quite well, delightful distractions notwithstanding. But it’s not easy. It’s a day-by-day, sometimes moment-by-moment, effort. 

I want to be like that eagle, keeping everything in view but with my focus clear. Unlike that eagle, however, I don’t want to swoop down and catch a poor little defenceless creature in my claws. That’s where the analogy breaks down. I want to stand tall, my head held high, knowing that I have used well the resources of time, energy, gifts and abilities that the Good Lord has allocated to me. May his name be glorified as a result.