Are your lights on?

This is how it looked as I drove the kids to school today. Thick fog - low visibility. Certainly not the best driving conditions.

It reminded me of our Christian walk.

We are expected to stay on the right path (road) which is narrow, the fog would represent the noise around us in the world (sin).

How should we, as Christians, navigate in such conditions?

First, pay attention to the road. I noticed how much more attentive and alert I became today. This didn't represent the usual driving conditions. Sometimes the chaos around us will sharpen our focus on the road ahead.

Next, turn on your lights. Unless an oncoming car had it's lights on, they would likely go unseen and risk causing an accident. I realized how all vehicles are equipped with lights, but turning them on in a fog is a conscious decision. We can turn on our spiritual lights by memorizing the word of God and then speaking it into our lives.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105

Have you turned on your lights today? If so, please leave a comment and tell us what you did.

It's In the Translation

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
Isaiah 40:8

Our generation should be some of the best communicators, constantly plugged in and forever clicking away on blackberries and mini laptops. I must admit though, with all of this technology and immediate gratification, some things may be getting lost in the translation. Just maybe, I think, it may have been our parents' generation that had better information sharing methods. My parents have always had a pretty consistent manner of communicating with one another. There were many years my father travelled extensively for work and they had to have a system. However, it is important to note, when my father was very young and in the service, he worked on airplanes. Very NOISY airplanes. So, he is virtually deaf in one ear. Now, I am no expert, but I would venture a guess that the other ear is not so great either :) This little tidbit has wreaked havoc on my dear dad for years.

Many things have been lost in the translation with my dad, orders in restaurants, questions from his students, the grandchildren speaking to him. But, make no mistake, my father is a good willed and fine man. He has more integrity in his little toe than most men acquire in a lifetime. As far as his faith and his ability to share his love with us, that is certainly not an issue. But, the following encounter has rendered our family hysterical numerous times over the years.

I was in college at the time. I still lived at home. My mother worked at a local department store and my father picked her up after her shift on the weekends. That Saturday night, my dad asked if I wanted to ride over with him. It was very late and my mother got into the car.
She innocently asked him a simple question,
"Did you kill the wasps?"
(A wasp's nest was overtaking a tree in our side yard) to which he replied,
"Yes, yes, I did a load of white."
My mother chuckled.
She clarified for him, "No, no not the wash, the bugs, did you get the bugs?" Still, the ears were not with him,
"Rugs, why would I wash the rugs?"
We laughed until we cried. I know it is one of those moments you had to have been there to understand, however almost twenty years and a hearing aid later, we still have those moments.

Consequently, my dad had sprayed the wasp's nest, in addition to the other tasks he performed that day. But, I always find it noteworthy it takes so little to misunderstand the intentions of those around us. Dr. Eggerichs (of Love & Respect fame) pointed out in a marriage encounter my husband and I attended, that people are generally good-willed, most of those around us are good willed people. My father was certainly good-willed that day, however, it was his ears that failed him.

So, how often is our translation of a conversation vastly different than how the other person meant it? It amazes me how one single glance can speak volumes, while a fifteen minute dissertation to my children on loving one another can result in two defiant mini-me's casting blame from themselves and to each other, just wanting to "win". After all, they are incredibly good willed people, right? Right.

Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Psalms 119:89

So, though our earthly selves may daily struggle with interpretations of our interactions with others, there is something in our Christian walk that is unchanging. Regardless of the version of Bible we choose to use for our quiet time, the message is the same. It is stable, viable and steady.

As I deeper study the Bible, I am fascinated by the translations of the written word of God. There may be many; however, it becomes abundantly clear that there is very little wiggle room in translating the hard and fast facts presented in Word of God. We attend Bible studies and many times we take away different things, perhaps it meets us where we are in that moment. We go to church and as the Pastor breaks down the Word, verse for verse, we nod and praise the God that so clearly and carefully spelled out every single thing we need to know in one perfect handbook. We humble ourselves in prayer, meditating on the truth that comes only in verses encapsulated in our Holy Bibles.

Where is your Bible? Good willed as each of us may be, our walk will falter if we are not daily seeking, noses in our Bibles, putting to action the commands and truth as only articulated in the great Word of God. Some translations may not be as reliable as others, but we are called to study, seek and press onward in His Word.

Praises, moments of great joy, hardened hearts, anger, bitterness, laws, promises...they are all there, the answers within. If you have been away from your Bible, the Lord will rejoice at your return to His Word.

"I am the Lord, and I do not change." Malachi 3:6

It is that simple, no translation needed.

Handling the Word of God

When my daughter was growing up she believed most anything she heard on commercials. She was always telling me which were the best products to buy and why they were the best, When I would ask her how she knew, she would say because they said so on the commercial. It's sad to realize that you must expect an element of deception in advertising and be on your guard for it.

While most of us have wised up about the reliability of commercials, many adults are still quick to believe something simply because another person says (or writes) it's so. Countless emails get passed around cyberspace claiming to be a warning of some sort that will protect you from harm and urging you to pass it along to everyone you know. There are places on the internet where you can verify if that information is correct or not but few people either know where to verify it, how to verify it, or take the time to verify it.

When it comes to scripture we should not simply take another person's word (or written work), for what the Bible says or means, and we should be teaching our children not to either. We should be in the habit of verifying scripture ourselves, and teaching our children how to do the same, prayerfully researching it out. A concordance and bible dictionary are very useful tools for helping to understand scripture as well. We gain more insight into and understanding of God's Word when we look at the original text and it's meaning.

And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. Acts 17:11 (emphasis mine)

Why is it important to know scripture for ourselves? First and formost is that studying God's Word for ourselves is the best way to develop a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus.

Another reason is that there are those who would deliberately teach wrong doctrine to draw us and/or our children into their "religion" or cult. The best way to spot a counterfeit is to know the original.

Even with people we can trust, our friends, parents, pastors, reputable authors, etc, we need to remember that they can make mistakes. We are imperfect humans and we all make mistakes. As teachers of God's Word, we are held to a high standard to teach it accurately. So it is important that we use reliable references, research out what we are being taught, and teach our children to do the same. We need to keep in mind that popularity and opinion are not proper guages for reliablity, accuracy is.

One way to teach children to develop the habit of verifying scripture is to have them verify the scriptures and meanings you are teaching them. Who knows, they might come back and teach you something you didn't know.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (emphasis mine)

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. James 3:1

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2 (emphasis mine)

You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Titus 2:1 (emphasis mine)