Barbara's Banter

To me the weather in San Jose, CA is as near perfect as you can get. It’s rarely too hot or too cold. Being raised in the Mid-West I sometimes miss seeing the seasons change, but it’s a minor compensation for weather I love. However, no place is perfect and the deluge of rain we’ve had this past week proves it. I really don’t mind the rain, but I do mind the Californians who’ve never learned to drive in the rain. Accidents double with the slightest hint of moisture out here, which is unfortunate because at times the rain will fall.

Rain has a life lesson for all of us found in Luke 6:46-49. Here Jesus gives the parable about the foolish man and wise man building houses. The foolish man built his house on a shaky foundation and the wise man built his on a solid foundation. Then the rains came and it must have been quite a downpour because the foolish man’s house was washed away. However, the wise man’s house was not. And here is the point I want to emphasize – the rains will come!

Many Christians feel if they are nice to others and follow biblical principles, they will escape the rain. Oh no, my friend. The thunder will roar and the lightening will strike. It will rain on everyone: the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the just, the unjust, the atheist and the Christian. No one escapes the rain. It rained on both the foolish and the wise man. However each had a different result. The foolish man was wiped out, but the wise man was not. The wise man may have had considerable water damage, but he survived because he built his house on a solid foundation.

Spiritually speaking the house represents our lives and that rock-solid foundation is Jesus Christ. An unshakable foundation can be laid daily by believing Christ, walking with him, talking with him, and trusting him. The shaky foundation cuts corners, plays the angles and tries to be self-sufficient. When the storms of life come – and they will come – you will rely on whom you have grown accustom to relying on. Will that be you or will that be Christ? Only Christ can help you survive the storms of life. Sometimes Christ calms the storm; sometimes he calms the child. But either way, you survive.

As far as those Californians who don’t know how to drive in the rain I suggest the following: take a driving course, slow down, or stay home until the sun shines. Because you can’t escape it – the rain will fall!

Natural disasters are a fact of life. Floods wash away homes, tornadoes demolish houses, landslides bury neighborhoods, and volcanoes spew molten lava over cities. As quick as a blink of the eye an earthquake can hit a country like the one that devastated Haiti last Tuesday or a hurricane like Katrina can wipe out a whole city as big as New Orleans.

Although God is omnipotent and could stop these forces of nature many times he chooses not to. There may be more occasions when he chooses to stop them, but we’ll never really know how many times he has protected us, will we? However, when these disasters occur there always seems to be at least one soap box Christian eager to say it is God’s punishment for sin. I’m not so sure about that.

Those who presume to know why God does or does not allow a tragedy are really just speculating. They may think they are intimate confidants of God, but they are really just self proclaimed interpreters of their own perceptions.

It’s true that God did destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, but there are more examples of him just letting nature take its course. Sin does not always need God’s wrath to get one’s attention or every gluttonous, greedy, oppressive person we know would be zapped immediately. Sin carries its own penalty.

The sad part of this mode of thinking is that it leads people to believe every bad thing that happens to a person is the result of his or her sin. That simply is not true. We all know bad things happen to good people all the time. A few biblical examples would be John the Baptist having his cut off and served on a platter to Salome, righteous Job losing everything he had, and Stephen being stoned to death.

Don’t misunderstand me. In my book God is God. He can do whatever he chooses and allow anything he wishes. However, Haiti is located on a fault line and New Orleans is in hurricane heaven. Sometimes a tragedy is time, chance, and circumstance. We can learn lessons from the aftermath of anything that happens. However, a natural disaster could just be a natural disaster.

Making New Year’s resolutions we don’t intend to keep is a great American pastime. The most popular resolutions made year after year are to lose weight, exercise more, eat healthy, make more money, enjoy life more, and quit smoking. And if we have specific areas of interests we can find websites for almost any kind of resolution we’re interested in. There are resolution sites for astrologers, dog owners, cat lovers, Internet junkies, orthodontists, talk show fans, business owners, genealogists, mothers, fathers, portfolio people…you name it, they’ve got it. I’m thinking of starting a site for people who don’t have time to make their own resolutions.

Most of our personal areas of resolve focus on self-improvement. Although there’s nothing wrong with improving one’s self, maybe the fact so many of our goals are totally inward contributes to why they are so hard to keep. Perhaps we’d fare better to build resolutions around biblical principles such as doing unto others as we would have them do unto us. (Matthew 7:12) For example, why not resolve to be nicer or kinder? We could start by smiling at people then move towards doing random acts of kindness. Next we could say words like “please” and “thank you” and move towards not listening to or spreading gossip.

These resolves not only benefit us, but everyone around us. It has a trickle-down effect.

Sure it would be great to stop smoking or become a svelte size six or live to be a hundred by only eating tofu and wheat grass. I say, “Go for it!” And who wouldn’t want to gain riches beyond our wildest dreams? But the truth is that if we are disagreeable, grumpy, self consumed, humorless, back biting, angry, envious, unsupportive, cantankerous people, WHO CARES what we accomplish?

King David was a man after God’s own heart, but he was not without trials. Yet in those trials he placed his confidence in God. He beseeched God for help and trusted him completely. He knew that God was in control and had only his best interest in mind. In Psalm 31:14, 15 he says, “But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand…”

As Christians we must realize that our times whether they be good or bad, sickness or health, wealth or want, or past, present, and future are in God’s hands. That’s why we can face a new year with anticipation instead of apprehension. What better place is there to be than in the hands of a Father who loves us completely and unconditionally?

Christmastime can be a most enjoyable time of year. People deck their halls with boughs of holly for ‘tis the season to be jolly. Families gather together to eat, drink, and be merry. Even dysfunctional families seem to have enough fun to want to repeat it year after year or why would they keep coming back for more? However, for some, Christmas can be the loneliest time of year.  

My heart goes out to the lonely of the world. Past studies show when people feel socially isolated it affects their behavior and health. Feelings of pain and hopelessness lead to depression. Not only is loneliness detrimental to one’s health, it is also contagious. A new study conducted by John Cacioppo of the University of Chicago shows that lonely people tend to transmit their feelings of isolation to friends, neighbors, and family as they move to the fringe areas of society. Sadly, those who have a lonely friend are 40 to 65% more likely to feel lonely. Loneliness doesn’t necessarily mean you lack connections with people, but the connections you have don’t satisfy. That’s why some people can be lonely in a crowd and some can be all alone, but not lonely.

Understanding what Christmas is really about can ease loneliness. Christmas is more than pretty presents, decorated trees, twinkling lights, and even family gatherings. Although these are all wonderful, they are peripheral compared to Christ being born and dwelling among us. Not only did Christ dwell among us, but he came to live in us – if we let him. You might say that Christ was God’s Christmas present to the world. He came for everyone, but especially the weak, broken-hearted, and lonely.

You see, the true meaning of Christmas is summed up in one of my favorite Christmas quotes by Taylor Caldwell. “This is the true message of Christmas: we are not alone!”

Being a published writer, I have not entered the world of blogging frivolously. I don’t like starting projects without a certain level of commitment. Statistics show that over a million blogs start daily and 90% die within the first month. Not wanting to just drift into cyberspace like so many bloggers, I have given this venture much thought. Perhaps too much thought since my forte’ in the area of blogging seems to be thinking and not doing. But I guess the time has come to stop talking about it and just do it!

Starting around a new year seems appropriate. Making a self agreement to update the blog at least once a week is a resolution I think I can live with. So I shall try this blogging thing for a year and see where it leads.

I won’t be cooking all of Julia Child’s recipes in 2010 because I rarely cook anymore, but I should gain some mass appeal for loving to eat. Even Julie Powell turned in her apron to write an unappetizing memoir called Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession. Her graphic descriptions of affairs, explicit sex, and butcher apprenticeship are not for those with a weak stomach, which reinforces my decision not to cook much anymore. Obviously too much cooking can cause a psychological strain – but I digress.

My platform is fairly simple. I take my faith but not myself too seriously. I feel God has a sense of humor and if we let him he will laugh with us – not at us. As for me, I’d rather be laughing with God. With that in mind, perhaps I can offer a different perspective on world events, social issues, and everyday life.

I’ve been told that blogging, face book, and twitter are necessities for a writing career today. You don’t even exist unless you participate in at least one of those mediums. Well, using that criterion, I guess you might say I’m taking my first breath of life here. I now blog – therefore – I exist!