solomon

There are many paradoxes evident in our world today. A paradox is a statement that appears to produce two entirely contradictory outcomes or goes against what we intuitively expect. Paradoxes have been part of philosophical thinking for centuries. King Solomon was a paragon of wisdom and sage judgment and yet his personal life was a bit of a mess.

When I was a little girl, my grandmother gave me a pictoral bible. My favorite story was from 1 Kings 3:16–28 which recounts two mothers living in the same house with their newborns. One day the mothers came to Solomon distressed because one of the babies had been smothered and died. Each woman claimed that the remaining baby was hers. King Solomon called for a sword and then asked that the baby be cut in two, each woman to receive half a child.

One mother was content with Solomon's proposal, indicating that if she couldn't have the baby, then neither of them should. However, the other woman looked to Solomon, and 1 Kings 3: 26-28 tells the story.

The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

Once the mothers revealed their true feelings, Solomon could discern the true mother from the fraud; however, what does that have to do with Paradox?

According to the Journal of Psychological Science, this is an actual phenomenon. Solomon’s Paradox is the state of mind where you can understand, reason and solve other people’s problems more wisely than you can your own. Solomon was the wisest man of all time, but he couldn’t manage his own personal life all that well. His hundreds of wives led him to follow customs and worship practices of other cultures. We may advise well, but don’t follow our own advice or counsel.

Maybe it’s time to start following our own advice and see the results. We might gain much wisdom.

lessons

In the womb of the dawn, I perceive how the yellow sun devours the pink clouds and I think about how to slay the dragons in my life. A machaira was a short dagger and saber used in close combat during a war. These aren’t physical battles we fight, but I know that my “tongue is a sharpened sword that can slay the devil.” ( Ephesians 6: 17) If I really want to stop the attacks of the enemy, I need to commit scripture to memory. If I do, I will see results.

If you have never seen the sun, then you will be impressed with a simple candle. If you’ve never heard the sound of thunder and seen bolts of lightning, you will be impressed with a firecracker. If you don’t read God’s Word, praise Him for His majesty and all He has done and turn your back on the Creator of the Universe, you will fall in love and into the trap that the world sets before you with it’s short-lived pleasures and shadows of doubt. As A.W. Tozer says, “The most dangerous trap is just living and forgetting that God exists.”

I pray I will never be afraid of the Fridays in my faith. Christ died on the cross, but there was a day of mourning; a time to question; a time to weep and feel the loss. But it took that sad Saturday in between before we saw the dawn of the resurrection and the Sunday of our soul. I know there are days of doubt and it’s okay to cry and wonder why. That’s when I look to verses in the bible to read, sing, memorize and meditate on. Refresh your mind and soul. There are lessons to learn.

Psalm 119: 25-40 - Daleth

 I am laid low in the dust;
    preserve my life according to your word.
 I gave an account of my ways and you answered me;
    teach me your decrees.
 Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
    that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
 My soul is weary with sorrow;
    strengthen me according to your word.
 Keep me from deceitful ways;
    be gracious to me and teach me your law.
 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
    I have set my heart on your laws.
 I hold fast to your statutes, Lord;
    do not let me be put to shame.
 I run in the path of your commands,
    for you have broadened my understanding.

 Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
    that I may follow it to the end.
 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
    and obey it with all my heart.
 Direct me in the path of your commands,
    for there I find delight.
 Turn my heart toward your statutes
    and not toward selfish gain.
 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
    preserve my life according to your word.
 Fulfill your promise to your servant,
    so that you may be feared.
 Take away the disgrace I dread,
    for your laws are good.
 How I long for your precepts!
    In your righteousness preserve my life.

perspective

Sometimes we just need to see the world from a different angle. As I venture out to a daytrip to the mountains, I feel as if I could reach my hand and touch the tips so many miles away. Even though I know I can’t because of my rational thought, I am often very affected by forces I cannot see.

The aroma of fresh baked cookies stirs my senses in memories of after school treats; that conversation and laughter with friends drinking coffee and sharing stories and eating blueberry muffins and all the ways we interact with our world are real. But our puzzling personalities lead us to ask questions. Why are we suspicious when we could have the joy of curiosity? Why all the snap opinions when our mindset could be nonjudgmental? Why do we dissect details and camparingly catalogue experiences when we could have a new positive paradigm free of negative thoughts? Why do we sometimes slam the door of opportunity or let it quietly close when we could be moving in a whole new direction and experiencing new adventures?

There is the story about an older woman who cried all day. It wasn’t because of her livelihood, her family or her circumstances. She was just upset and worried about her two sons and how they were faring in the world. One of them sold umbrellas and so when it was sunny, she cried because she didn’t think he would do well with the business. Her other son sold vegetables and needed the sun, but when it rained, the plants were too sodden and the woman cried because she worried about him and his business too. One day, she met a wise man who told her to look at each scenario with a different lens. When it rained, think about the son selling umbrellas. He will do well. And when it’s sunny, remember the vegetable farmer son and know that his crops will thrive. We all have sunshine and rain in our lives. Nothing really changed in the sad woman’s life except her perspective. Perhaps we would do well to do the same.

“Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2

rain

When I stand in the puddles in my yard and watch the drops sprinkle themselves on the ground, I am reminded of the blessings that have been showered on each of us. But oh, raindrops can be like tears falling from heaven as God must look down and sadly shake his head and ask “what on earth has man done?”

For all the acid rain, there are clear pools of clear, fresh water pouring down the mountainside. For the rainfall of tears that pour from broken hearts, there are tears of laughter rolling down cheeks past smiling mouths. For the rain of bullets, missiles and shells exploding in the magnitude of wars now and in the past, there are spring rains with thunder, lighning and wind that roll across the prairies nourishing the fields of crops.

Psalm 147:8 tells us that, “He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.”

This liquid precipitation that falls from the sky are really millions of water droplets gathering in a cloud, combining, condensing and falling to earth bringing life to all. Just watch a young child in rubber boots dancing splashing in the rain. Watch the people hold their colored umbrellas over their heads. Listen to the sound on the roof of a tent early on a rainy morning. Watch the storm clouds gather and unlease their flurry of pelting drops across the sky and shower the earth with moisture. We long for rain when the land is dry and parched. Like many who are used up, fed up and ready to give up, they long for relief.

And then there is God’s love that rains down on us from on high. Just turn your face to the heavens and feel it. When your soul is dry and parched and your faith isn’t growing - it has shriveled up, dried up and you’ve given up. Pray for the rain. Hope in the Lord.

Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, Lord our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this. Jeremiah 14:22

will

It’s a craving, a liking or a longing. The inclination that “if there’s a will - there’s a way.” It’s the desire or decision or the legal declaration of one’s wishes at the end of life. “Not my will, but yours be done” and yet this volition, willingness or perogative can leave us in a tug-o-war if things don’t go our way.

Gene Roddenberry is the creator of Star Trek. He coined the phrase, “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” He specifified in his will, that he wanted his ashes scattered in space by a satellite orbiting earth His request was granted in 1997. Many famous and wealthy people have left millions of dollars to their pets and many others have been disgruntled because someone’s will didn’t fit theirs. Nonetheless, will has more connotations than just what is left to an heir.

Recently our church had child dedication. I love the fact that the parents, the families of the children and the church family get to say, “We will help raise these children as gifts from God.”

We recite the Lord’s prayer - “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” A beautiful acoustic song is worth listening to entitled: “Your Will Be Done” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nLXXephYRI

So let’s let heaven shine here on earth. Our smiles will show when sadness intrudes our thoughts. Rainbows will appear after the storms. Laughter will kiss our lips and spread to others. Sunrises and sunsets will bring hope of better todays and tomorrows. Hugs will heal when our spirits sag. Friendships will comfort others in need. Beauty will array herself in nature and confidence will march forward and ahead of doubt. Courage will rise when truth needs to be told and heard. Patience will arrive and accept purpose and plans. Love will complete our lives.

We may not always understand what God has willed and God has planned, but we can be sure that HIs will be done. Jesus not only prayed in submission to God, but lived that way. In John 6:38, he says, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” And again in Mark 14: 36, “And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’”

And so, will you let God direct your path and submit to His will? I will.

may

Mother May I? This is the month of May. May you have safe journeys and blessings on the way. May your days be filled with love, peace and joy. May the Lord be with you. As we celebrate the last day of May, may we be enlightened and empowered with the beauty of this spring season.

The name for the month of May—with its 31 days - comes from Latin, Maius, or “Maia’s month”. We can thank the Romans for instituting the Gregorian calendar and giving us the name. The Greek name Maia comes from a root meaning “mother, nurse, midwife” and we associate spring with birth, but the Roman Maia appears to be related to magnus, meaning “great” and source of such words as magnify. Magnify the name of Jesus!

There are multiple bible verses that use the word “may” and Psalm 119 is one of those. The Psalm is arranged according to the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet with 8 verses. Each of the sections is given a letter of the Hebrew alphabet and each line in that section begins with that letter. The psalm is about glorifying God and His word. May is after all, poetry month.

Matthew Henry, an 18th century Bible commentator, was told by his father to take one verse of Psalm 119 every morning to meditate on, going through the entire psalm twice a year. Philip Henry, the father, told his children, “That will bring you to be in love with all the rest of the Scriptures.”

Verse 125:
Give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies.

The writer of the psalm wanted to understand the word of God that was of great importance because he would acquire wisdom and understand life.

Verse 148: My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.

The psalmist woke early to seek God and also stayed awake through the night to meditate on God’s Word. Jesus was an example of this as well. When we internalize God’s Word, it becomes part of how we think and as a result can function differently as a result. May you strive to think and act differently and meditate on His Word. May you have a beautiful May day.