Skip to main content

Challenges

             And Mary said, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.” (Luke1:46-49)

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” (Genesis 22:2)

 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.  So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:8-10)

          “I love a challenge.” I’ve said this many times, and it’s true. But…

Get pregnant as (probably) a young teen in a society in which I could be executed for it while maintaining that the child is from God and that I’ve been “good”? And sing about it? 

Sacrifice a beloved child who had been promised to me?

Lead millions of enslaved people away from those who have enslaved them and later take on six other nations to have a place to live?

          Maybe when I was young and more foolish than I am now, I might have considered one of these, but I doubt it. I love challenges in which I have some measure of control. At least, I like to think I have control as I take my little Chinese takeout box of “What’s this?” home only to discover that it’s a blob that takes over my world. Because that’s what real challenges do. They interrupt, interfere, change, and control your life. They are generally inconvenient, and you can probably guarantee that the challenge that comes into your life is not the one you wanted. If we had a clue what the challenge really involved, we’d probably say “No, thanks.”

          I know some hesitate to admire Mary because of Maryology. She wasn’t sinless or perfect, but she took on a daunting task, and was willing to take it on “solo” if Joseph didn’t cooperate. Credit where credit is due. It would do us all good if we studied the challenges and types of challenges others have faced. I’ve said before that I wish I could handle the challenges I face as well as Mary did. I try to tell myself my response is even more pathetic because the challenge in her life was God-sized while (in my mind) mine are petty. Without seeking to diminish the magnitude of Mary’s challenge, I’m going to suggest that a life-changing challenge, regardless of the size, will likely produce many of the same responses. Who do I (not) tell? What do I do about…? What will ___ think? Say? Do? How will I cope? What if I fail? What if?

The old spider of fear attacks when challenges are encountered, because it is the nature of a challenge for the old to lose control, and the new to take it. It is within the nature of a challenge to disrupt not only our sense of control, but even our hold on reality. Even God’s promises may seem to be thrown aside. It is when we face challenges that we need to hold on to God, even if everything else is shaken.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shepherd!

                 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . (John 10:14) God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk     through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4) For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in the...
Post a Comment
Read more