Can Anything Really Change?
In my private practice days, I inherited quite a few couples for marital work on recommendation from the wife of a psychiatrist. These ladies had just been released from the psych hospital where they had been admitted for depression and attempted suicide. The husband of one particular couple was unresponsive and clearly angry. Tough situation.
Not Who We Used to Be
I met Svetlana at a pastor’s conference in Moscow. When I first saw her, she looked as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Approaching me during a break, she asked my advice on “how not to yell at her kids”. As a pastor’s wife in a city where she had no friends or family, Svetlana was idolized for having “arrived spiritually” because she was fortunate to marry a pastor. For reasons too many to explain here, Svetlana lived with a growing anger toward God and her family, which broke her heart.
Something New Entirely
Visiting relatives as a child came with a lot of internal ambivalence. I enjoyed the stories, hated stringing green beans, had a blast playing horseshoes or croquet, and cringed every time someone said I was “a shepherd”. What did that mean anyway? One aunt kept calling me by my Dad’s name, apologized, and remarked how much I look like my Dad. Then she would do it all over again in the same visit. Is that what it meant to be a shepherd? I just look like my Dad?
Cleaning Up Our Mess
Some years ago, living in Thailand, I met a Thai pastor in Bangkok who had previously been a Buddhist monk. Curious about that change, I asked about his conversion, which he happily explained. While mowing the grass at the monastery, he accidentally ran over and killed a frog. Panicked over taking a life, he knew he had lost all the merit he had earned up to that point. He would have to start over.
A Different Agreement
The other day, I took our daughter out to an empty parking lot to teach her how to drive. We went through the paces for about an hour when a policeman showed up. So, I jumped out of the car and asked if everything was alright. “License and papers,” was the reply, with no smile. So, I pulled out my papers. “Not yours, her’s,” he snapped.
Capax Lament
Over the past month Jayne and I have been concentrating on making space for God in our lives as a way to observe this season leading up to Easter. I’ve gained a lot in the process of intentionally slowing down, spending time in silence and waiting upon the Lord.
