Cycles | Kintsugi

Have you ever experienced a season of goodness long enough that you started taking it for granted? Or that you started to believe that maybe if you kept living an exemplary life, it never would have to be interrupted?

I used to think life was supposed to be something always within my comfort zone, something kind of easy peasy, with just a bit of challenge thrown in to be interesting. If life happened to throw me a major curve ball, it was certainly from the devil.

Whether it is the devil on the other end of the imperfections, disruptions or catastrophes of our lives, I can’t say for sure, but one thing I do know is that life is full of good and bad, easy and difficult, joy and sorrow - and no one is exempt. Sometimes our own choices lead us down the wrong path and we end up injured, addicted or broken in some way.

Have you ever gotten trapped in an unhealthy habit which you felt powerless to escape from? I have. And I know many people who have as well. In those entanglements, people often have to “hit bottom” before they will finally reach out to find the help and resources they need to get free. And often when we think we (or someone we know) has hit bottom, we haven’t quite yet, and have to fall even deeper before we hit it. This is such a hard thing to experience for ourselves or watch happen to someone we love. It is really like a series of small deaths: a death of dreams and expectations, a death of our belief in rational solutions and spiritual platitudes, a death in believing that we are better than this.

I now no longer expect life to always be easy and happy, though thankfully sometimes it is. I know we will all experience “small deaths” while we are living on this earth. But I’ve seen enough of these that I’ve learned a very important truth: God’s grace is always deeper than we could ever fall. Hitting bottom is really falling into His hands, though it might not feel like that at the time. As we let God help us recover, we also can notice an amazing consequence: He fills in the broken areas of our lives with His “Gold Glue”.

In Colossians 1:17 it is written,
Jesus is before all things and in Him all things hold together.

He holds all things together and certainly that includes us and all our broken pieces! An ancient Japanese technique illustrates this well for us. It is called kintsugi and it is a practice used to restore broken pottery. Kintsugi is founded on the principle that just because something is broken does not mean it should be thrown away. Rather, it should be honored for its life and beauty by restoring it to wholeness through applying a glue filled with gold flakes. The effect is stunning. Though one will always be able to see where the piece of pottery was once broken, it now serves the purpose it was intended for with streaks of gold that “hold all things together” and now shines with an interesting and exceptional beauty.

Jesus is before all things and after all things, the Alpha and Omega. He holds all things together during our life here on earth, during our transition to the after-life, and in the heavenlies as well! There is nowhere that His grace is not present.

Isaiah states it so beautifully in Chapter 61:
God has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…..and to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

To God, absolutely no one is a “throw away.” Not only does God restore, repair and honor His broken people, sometimes He even allows us to participate with Him in this work by helping others we know who are experiencing brokenness of some kind. This all sounds like pure gold to me!!

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About the Author

John lives in Pleasant Hill with his dog, Gunnar, and a multitude of guests who enjoy the peace and beauty of the Cascade foothills. With three children and three grandchildren all living in Oregon, he is continually blessed with their company and the good food that always accompanies their get-togethers!

Resilient | The Gift of Surviving

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

I am not the best person to write about resilience in the face of all the challenges we’ve had this last year. I’ve barely survived. Currently, I’m at my heaviest adult weight from all the stress/loneliness/working-my-day-job-too-close-to-my-kitchen eating (as well as the lack of chasing students around a school). I am missing my class, and am wondering if my friendships will survive the polarization of politics. I’m limping along on this crazy, slow-motion, surreal marathon that I know has an end but isn’t in sight yet. I’m still moving forward, I think. Barely. By the grace of God.

But maybe that’s the point. Maybe resilience is a gift from God. I sure couldn’t craft it, despite all my best attempts this last year to help myself survive pandemic and polarization with various gimmicks and plans like hosting Zoom game nights, convincing friends to let me come over and watch the movies you have to have streaming services for, and writing a short story and silly posts in my personal blog.

Truth is, even if I’m sick of working from home and can only fit into 3/5 of my wardrobe, at least I have clothes and a home to keep them in. I’m still frustrated with the world and feel like people are overreacting and overcorrecting each other and making things worse instead of working together. But God keeps reminding me that He’s still in control. Even if WWIII or a new Civil War breaks out, which is kind of my biggest fear these days besides being stuck in distance teaching forever, I know He’ll still be helping us crazy humans. Because He’s crazy about us.

In case you can’t tell, humor is one of the ways I’ve been coping. When I lived in Afghanistan, my coworkers and I developed a bit of dark humor. You kind of have to, to survive in a place where you practice insurgent drills with your students instead of fire drills. It’s happening again for me now. Lately, I’ve been grateful for things like reruns of M*A*S*H where the characters survive the mental stress of war by making fun of it, and by their companionship and community. I am so grateful for all the friends and family that have gracefully let me call them constantly.

So here I’ll refer you to a real article about resilience written by our own CitySalt friend, Chris. His alter ego, Professor Popinjay, knows a thing or two about using humor (and reliance on God and the people He puts in our path) to develop resilience. Normally he writes for the Springfield-based Free For All newspaper, but this one was published in my friends’ online literary magazine, Illumine: Collective Light. Enjoy!

https://illumine.collectivelight.org/2020/01/02/resilience-its-not-just-for-masked-vigilantes-anymore/

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About the Author

Jessie is an educator, she currently teaches teens and has taught overseas. She is also a novice writer, with several books in various stages and a (long-neglected) blog about the journeys of women. She is very excited to be a part of the CitySalt blog team. She has been blessed by a few communities of Christian writers that have encouraged her dream. She lives with her trusty sidekick cat, Arwen in the foothills of South Eugene, where she can go hiking within minutes of the sun coming out from behind the clouds.

Love Your Enemies | Praying for our Enemies

Luke 23:34
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His clothes by casting lots.

Matthew 5:44
“But I [Jesus] tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

The idea of loving your enemies is, in my opinion, one of the things that sets Christianity apart from many other religions. Unfortunately, it’s also one that we fail at miserably. I am heartbroken when I see Christians setting such a terrible example for the world. Dehumanizing politicians, using insulting names for people who want a better world in a different way than they do, even desiring the extermination of entire people groups-- I’ve seen it all, from family, friends, and former students of mine who claim to be Christ-followers.

But am I any better? Who are my enemies? How have I treated them?

I have lashed out in anger against people who I deemed to be working against me. I have held grudges long after I should have forgiven someone. I have cultivated resentment. I have thrown people under the proverbial bus because I was frustrated with them. And probably much more.

All of this could have been avoided, I’m sure, if I’d taken the time to pray for my enemies before I spoke or acted. Praying for them serves several purposes. It gives us compassion. It reminds us that we have all been sinners. We are all just as guilty as the people who were actively participating in the death of Jesus. Thank God for His grace, mercy, and sacrifice in the form of His Son. We can remember that if the person we’re at odds with isn’t a Christian, then they may not know what they are doing, and we can ask for them to know God’s forgiveness like we have. And if the person is a Christian, we can ask God to guide us both.

Praying for them also gives us the strength and ability to love them in a way that we are incapable of in our own power. I experienced this firsthand while living in Central Asia. Though the details of this experience might be better shared over coffee, I can tell you that God gave me a supernatural love for a group that I had every reason to hate. I’ve also had this experience in teaching, when a student is acting disruptively or disrespectfully. Of course I love my students and don’t see them as enemies, but I don’t always feel that love toward them at the moment. Even teachers are human! But when I pray for them, my attitude changes and sometimes even their attitude/behavior does, too.

Now I’m not saying that we need to coddle everyone or condone everyone’s actions. I think it’s okay to vehemently disagree with someone’s actions or policies or attitudes, and to call them on it. But we can do this without dehumanizing them. They are made in God’s image, just like the rest of us; and we need to honor that, even when they don’t deserve it. Because all of us have “not deserved it” at some point. Thank God that He, in His love, made a way for us all to be forgiven. And Jesus, who knew that He would be killed violently, gave us the ultimate example of loving our enemies.

Dear Lord, please guide us as we deal with our natural human emotions, including hate. Help us to remember that humans are never the ultimate enemy. And since we have all deserved the worst, help us to have compassion for those we don’t like as we remember our own guilt and how we’ve received grace. And fill us with love for them, so we can pray for them to know You more. Or nudge us to pray for them, so we can be filled with love for them. Whichever needs to come first in each case. You know our needs, and You know their needs. Thank you for loving us all. Amen.

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About the Author

Jessie is an educator, she currently teaches teens and has taught overseas. She is also a novice writer, with several books in various stages and a (long-neglected) blog about the journeys of women. She is very excited to be a part of the CitySalt blog team. She has been blessed by a few communities of Christian writers that have encouraged her dream. She lives with her trusty sidekick cat, Arwen in the foothills of South Eugene, where she can go hiking within minutes of the sun coming out from behind the clouds.

The Advent of Revolution | Grandeur in The Little Things

“When I look at the clues that indicate the nature of Jesus – born in a barn, questionable parents, spotty ancestry, common name, misdirected announcement, unattractive looks, reared in a bad neighborhood, owning nothing, surrounding himself with unattractive co-workers, and dying a shameful death – I find his whole approach unable to fit into the methods that automatically come to mind when I think about “winning the world.” His whole approach could easily be described as nonthreatening or nonmanipulative. He seemed to lead with weakness in each step of life. He had nothing in the world and everything in God and the Spirit.”

― Gayle D. Erwin, The Jesus Style

In 2010, my husband and I decided we were going to leave Oregon and spend a month and a half in Costa Rica. We felt like it was a God-guided choice and we would find wonderful things awaiting us: a mission and place to serve, a community to be connected, a growing and developing faith and relationship with the Lord. At least that’s how I imagined it. Our church community prayed for us, God opened opportunity and gave us visions and certainty, and soon we set off to find whatever it was that God had waiting for us.

We arrived and one of the first people I met and connected with happen to be the local pastor’s wife. Hallelujah! God had great things for us! My mind started spinning and I asked her about her church, searching for God’s place for me in it. The big magic would seem to end there. My husband was hesitant to jump into anything. He was even hesitant to attend church. In my fervor to grow in my faith, I honored my husband as best I could with as little arguing as I could and focused on prayer and the Word. Fast forward a year and I was attending church once in a while, mostly just with the kids. But I was helping the pastor’s wife build a preschool/kinder as a teacher's assistant. This wasn’t the big fireworks project either. It ended after one year, but it was a year that I embraced God’s guidance. I was reading my bible nightly and my coworkers (2 ladies) were a light in my life. We would meet to discuss school and take 30 minutes of each meeting to study the Word together. It sounds simple and “regular.” Isn’t that just what all “good Christians” do? But it was wonderful and together with the quiet time at night where I was reading the Word on my own, it was a season of deep and personal connection to the Lord that guides my path to this day.

A friend came down to Costa Rica with her family for a while during this time and joined us in a book club, reading David Platt’s book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. How fitting. We were rebelling against the American Dream just by being in Costa Rica and living in a different culture. My husband and I had moved out of our apartment and arrived in Costa Rica with only what could fit in our suitcases. Over a year later we still needed nothing more and I began to realize the big fancy mission project or Mother Teresa worthy life wasn’t necessary either. I was building my personal relationship with the Lord in a way I never would have, had I depended on a community of people, other people to give me answers, showy events or acts to brag about. God was telling me WAIT in such a powerful whisper that it slowed me down and opened my ears and my heart to listen. God was saying SURRENDER to what is - don’t chase after the picture I painted in my head, however righteous that picture was. God was saying LOVE in a way that is difficult and only feels good when you’re through it. God said GRACE, for experiences and people that I longed to live up to the greatness I envisioned. God moved my heart ever so slightly in the smallest and most powerful ways, highlighting the little things that make all the difference. And He still does. And I still only need what can fit in a few suitcases… what matters is what I carry in my heart.

I came across the book The Jesus Style by Gayle D. Erwin. I carried it with me. I sort of read it a few times, or more. I’ve slowly been getting back through the chapters and it challenges me in such simple, deep, and at times difficult ways. I continue to struggle with my desire for greatness (lingering remnants of the American Dream) when I think about my goals and my vision for my life. But if it is to follow Jesus, I must wait, surrender, love and have grace, over and over and over again. These are daily reminders I need for the little things, the choices we make regularly. One of my coworkers in that school and a bible study friend shared with us one day how she prays about everything. A casual disclosure in a short chat over snack time with the kids that stuck with me for all these years. When she makes her grocery list and again when she is walking around the store, she prays about what to buy, that it’s the right choice financially and for the health and well being of her family. Small prayers and small actions that are God-focused are truly the grandest of all things. A quote on my desk right now shares this sentiment:

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world” ― Anne Frank

This reminds me that even to make a big difference, small prayers and small actions that are God focused are truly the grandest of all things. How wonderful that small choices bring us closer to God and our waiting on the Lord can be a simple act of remaining connected and realigning when we stumble. In November, it is a great thing to remember to be grateful. Then comes December and what a great thing to celebrate Jesus. But let’s not make it a “season.” And let’s not get lost in the lights, but turn deep into our hearts as we wait on the Lord, drawing closer to Him in patient, loving and graceful surrender. His arrival is not our party to plan for, but our gift to be ready to receive.

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About the Author

Leona is a wife, mother and traveler who is intrigued by how different people live. Her latest project is exploring ways that different walks of life can simplify, in order to live a fulfilling journey.

Pain on the Brain

Pain comes in a variety of styles and sizes.  We are provided ample opportunities for good old physical pain. Then there is emotional pain, psychological pain, spiritual pain and perhaps intellectual pain (although I may not be qualified to experience that last one).  Loss is painful, change can be painful and I don’t care what they say, words can hurt just as much or more than stick and stones. Pain does not discriminate based on race, age, gender, religion or socio-economic status. Perhaps most importantly; in my experience, growth almost always involves some kind of pain and or suffering. Sometimes it seems as if we humans were designed to learn things the hard way. Like it or not… pain is an inevitable and often a major part of our human experience.  

2 Corinthians 1:5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

Why would God make pain such an integral part of the human experience? Why is there so much suffering in the world? How can God allow righteous people to suffer?

I don’t really like thinking about pain, much less writing about it. I feel compelled to write this because my body is showing clear signs of wearing out. I will not bore you with the details but suffice to say that physical pain, in several places, is now my constant and unwelcome companion.  I am not complaining; my physical life has been truly blessed to this point, but I need now to understand the lesson that God is providing through this experience of pain.  Unfortunately, recognizing that pain is designed to help us learn does not always help us comprehend the lesson.  After much reflection, I believe that my body is screaming (at me) to “GET MORE FLEXIBLE”.

Do you not see how necessary a world of pains and troubles is to school an intelligence and make it a soul? John Keats

We have a choice about how to respond to the pain that nags at our bodies or our hearts. The trick is to not allow pain to nag at our souls. Understanding that pain is a natural part of the challenge of life can help. I would not actually go so far as to say that pain is a blessing, but there are countless instances where pain was the first step on the road to blessings.

There are dozens of different modalities that we humans have devised for coping with our smorgasbord of pains; from drugs to acupuncture to titanium bracelets.  No matter how we choose to manage our various pains, knowing that God is there to comfort us and that we are part of a greater good is vital for our spiritual health in this regard. One key to our ability to deal gracefully with physical pain is to understand deeply that our bodies are but temporary vessels in which our spirits dwell. Life is challenge, is it not?  When we begin to appreciate the eternal nature of our soul, it makes sense to challenge ourselves (and our bodies) to help change this world for the better. instead of dwelling on our inevitable, persistent and multifaceted pain, we now need to find ways, through God’s grace, to rise above the pain and bless our families and communities.

Thank you for the gift pain… may the lessons to be learned come more easily and gracefully as we move along the road toward God’s redemption.

"Constructing a Soul" by Laura Rice

Once we believe and invite the Lord Jesus into our lives, we must “go on to construct a Soul”. This is a quote from C.S. Lewis, shared by the late author and pastoral care leader LeAnne Payne. I remember when hearing this for the first time, how it struck me as such an insight of truth and challenge.

I had been a Christian long enough to experience disappointment in my performance and to see the failings in other believers. We all know believers who profess their faith, and yet show huge deficiencies in their characters. I recently spoke with someone who helps to arrange cruise events for groups. She has experienced and heard reported that Christians are the most demanding and the stingiest with tipping personnel. 

Also, statistics show that Christians are less likely to tip serving staff at a restaurant. Where is the gap between the message of a generous and sacrificial God and the actions of so many who supposedly represent Him? What does it mean to construct a soul? I can’t answer that question comprehensively, but I will list some things that I have learned regarding the need to know self and to know God.

One, it is God who examines our hearts and reveals sin and disobedience. Secondly, if we allow for this interchange, God will reveal this to us and convict us about our soul health.  This probing by the Lord is not to depress us or leave us broken. 

Again, C.S. Lewis says, “The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”  With God’s prompting, our job is to repent and then cooperate with the process of change. To truly repent is to turn and walk another way. We choose to walk another way and He strengthens us to do it.

One way we offer ourselves to God for soul health is by reading His word.  In Hebrews it says that the Word of God is alive and powerful to divide between soul and Spirit and the thoughts and intents of the heart.  As we read, His word will read us.  We need to develop new habits. 

As we all know, the changing of a habit is very difficult.  But through our choices and God’s grace, it is possible.  God stirs up the need to change and we respond over and over again.  We ask Him for His empowering grace, as we learn to say no to old ways and yes to new ways.  I love the verse that says, “He who began a good work in you will be faithful complete it.”  As we stay in a humble stance before Him and others, and keep an open and listening heart, He will guide us on the path to maturity and soul health.

Scriptures:

Psalm 139

Hebrews 4:12-13

Hebrews 13:20-21