Label Liabilities

It’s my fourth consecutive night of sleeplessness.  Tired has become the resounding theme in my head – I’ve counted sheep, but now I’m just counting the bags under my eyes. 

There are some perks to insomnia…. I’m fully caught up on the first two seasons of White Collar, my Hotmail inbox is super-clean & I’ve had a lot of time to think.  My most recent musings have been about labels.  There are probably places where labels aren’t important, but in my neck of the woods labels mean something.  People use labels to establish their identity.  I’ve never been a trendsetter or wear the latest “it” brand (although I did once sport a really happenin’ Cabbage Patch backpack). But this idea of labels really hit me after a dinner party I hosted a few weeks back.

Some college guys had started attending my home church.  Having been a college kid, not-so-long ago, I remember the appeal a non-cafeteria, home-cooked meal.  So, one Sunday afternoon the guys came for lunch.  Being from my alma-mater we quickly found common ground to talk about.  But it wasn’t long before the topic of my kidney failure came up.  You know, I always say, renal disease makes an excellent ice-breaker…  But if you really want to get the party started tell them you can’t see.   Are you taking notes yet?  Despite what you might think I am not in the habit of self-sabotage.  In my life normal really is only a setting on my dryer.  While a semblance of normality is important to me and I never want to scare others away with my labels, I am a sum of my parts.  I am of the opinion that it is better to be honest about the person God has created me to be, flaws & all. 

I’m pretty sure my approach has scared some people away, but those that stick around know the truth & love me in spite of it.  You know, not all labels are bad.  In fact, there’s one that I hope is blatant & bold – this label reads ‘Child of the King’  and honestly, that label is the one worth having!

--V

What a Coincidence???

The idea has been rolling around in my mind for some time.  Is there really any such thing as karma or coincidence?  If Faceook commentary is any indication then I would be compelled to say, “

Yes”.  Fortunately for all of us, my Bible tells a different story.

The terms karma & coincidence get tossed around a lot, & often the words are used synonymously.  Usually karma is used to mean – what goes around comes around and coincidence implies a happy accident. I had thought to make a comparative outline, proving my point against karma & coincidence, but debate was never my forte.  Besides – my goal isn’t to argue, but rather share how God has shown me that His will in my life is the antithesis of coincidence.  And thank God it is!

The last six months has been a veritable escalator – it has its ups & downs, is always moving, has a tendency to trip you up when you least expect it & even when you get to your destination you’re rarely where you planned on going.  (One could deduce I’ve had run-ins with the moving staircase.)  My plans have changed, expectations have been altered. But through it all I have found comfort in knowing that I’m not like the wheat chaff blowing in the wind, but rather there is purpose in each of life’s moments.

This concept became glowingly clear to me following my most recent move.  I won’t bore you with the details, except to tell you how awed I am by God’s handiwork in the big & small details.  Uncertainty had made me hesitant to uproot my life from a place I’d called home since beginning my professional career.  I was especially intimidated by the thought of starting over in a new town… new friends, new job….  I decided to put the situation in God’s hands (the best place for it to be).  I asked Him to provide a buyer and a smooth transaction if I was to sell my place.  Days later a reasonable offer was made – there it was – my answer.  Days later, the buyer got cold feet & the offer was tabled.  I was disappointed, but was trusting that it wasn’t God’s will for me to move.  I continued to pray for God’s will in the matter.  Shortly before the new year another buyer made an offer – everything went smoothly and fast – real fast.  Long story (semi) short, I closed on my new home a week after I finalized the sale of my other house.  God worked things out in ways I could never imagined.  Some might call it coincidence, but I know that only the Great God I serve would care enough about the little things wo make sure my mailbox was on the same side of the street as my house, when most are across the street.  Only my God would provide a home layout that meets my physical & medical needs better than ever before and only my God would bless me with a home that is beyond what I had dared to hope for. Coincidence?  I think not! 

Jesus explained it far better than I ever could in Matthew 10:29 --  Not one sparrow “will fall to the ground without your Father’s will”.  He’s talking about how deep His concern & care for our well-being runs.  He knows each of His creation, even down to the hairs on our heads.  He knows each of the stars by name & He knows each time a sparrow falls.  If He cares so deeply about the small things, imagine the importance He places on you & me!  I take great comfort in that, I hope you do to.  Finally, I think John Piper summed it up best when he said, “In the end, one must finally come to see that if there is a God in heaven, there is no such thing as mere coincidence, not even in the smallest affairs of life:  -- Never forget, it’s no coincidence that God loves you!

-V