1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
18 And [Jesus] saith unto them,...
15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
This passage has been on my mind the past few days. My sister just recently gave birth to a baby girl. She had been preparing for the labour by reading a book which advises that relaxation is the key to a smooth delivery. Relaxation and positive thinking. It encourages women to focus on how delivery is a natural process that has been occurring since the beginning of time. It also advises women to stay away from those who just love to share their horror birth stories - it's too negative, if you listen to those stories that will just make you tense up. I agree that delivery is a natural part of life and yes women have been giving birth since the beginning of man. But I also recognize that death, deformity, pain and tragedy are also natural to the experience of life. My sister ended up being overdue and after going in for an ultrasound was told that her baby was a large baby and that there was now a real chance that the baby's shoulder's could get stuck. When that happens the baby has only 7 minutes before brain damage and death become a possibility. Talk about a downer. My sister later told me that she did feel calm and relaxed throughout the delivery but then explained that after she had gone for the ulrasound she had a beautiful moment when she felt a very powerful impression that God was with her. She felt no promise of a healthy baby or an easy delivery but that she could trust that Heavenly Father was watching over her. She also said that she also felt impressed to remember that fear does not come from God. Faith was her pathway to relaxation, calm and peace - and it wasn't faith in a positive result. It was faith in Christ.
I recently found this really beautiful post which I think shows the beauty of God's presence amidst tragedy.
The scripture above reminded me that man made philosophy is often so lacking and can make us weaker, not stronger. Christ offers us all we need.
1 comment:
I like how you said that faith -not in a positive result, but faith in Christ - is the pathway to calm and peace.
Thanks for sharing the post about Eli too.
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