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Some people say "Everything happens for a reason." With this phrase comes a harsh assumption: God allows bad things to happen to people. That word "allows" doesn't fly in my book. Leah spoke to this in a sermon (that can be found here) in which she explores the question "If God loves us, why do we suffer?" It speaks to the depth of grief we hold in our souls when we think God is behind the awful things that afflict us. So check it out when you get a chance (and then watch all of her others sermons. They're great:]).
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Nonetheless, here's what followed the discovery of Hannah's eaten shirt: a thorough cleaning of everything in that closet. Hannah mentioned some really nasty things but there was certainly more. It was a disgusting cave in there and we somehow (over the course of a couple hours) Dave, John, Hannah and I delivered it from its misery. We put stuff on the curb for people to take (which they did) and we threw things out (filling up all our curbside trash cans) and we cleaned everything with clorox and a vacuum. By the time we were done with that, I was on a cleaning spree which led to the makeover of our cluttered living and dining rooms. By the time we were done, the first floor looked marvelous. I stood outside the newly renamed "Shitless closet" door with Hannah, looked at it, and said, "See what transformation can come from such a gross and awful thing?" We laughed, she told me to blog about it, and so here we are.
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Also, as Hannah mentioned in her blog, she has been the recipient of a lot of unfortunate things over the past few months: computer and jewelry stolen, scabies (hope that was public knowledge...haha), moths eating her clothes... let's just say it hasn't been picture perfect (although, whose life ever is?). Some may say that God is punishing her for X Y or Z, but in fact, I think "shit happens" and God helps you deal with it. We are supposed to turn to God when we are "afflicted in every way... perplexed... persecuted... and struck down"** and trust that with our faith and God's love for us, somehow we will not be "crushed... driven to despair... forsaken... or destroyed."** So, no, God isn't taking anything out on Hannah.
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Instead this is our opporutnity to recognize the importance of transformation. And while sometimes it may be spiritual transformation or physical transformation, other times it can be a literal and material transformation. We were given the opportunity to totally revamp our closet and while it may have been disgusting for reasons we'd rather not discuss, it was re-energizing. I can now walk out of the bathroom and not feel anxious and overwhelmed for half a second when I see all the shit laying around in the closet. It is literally like taking a breath of fresh air look in there. And for that, I praise God because breathing is important (... duh). I guess that's what having faith is like... breathing. In one aspect it is much harder than breathing... but being able to take a deep breath after being in the midst of affliction is transformative in itself. Whenever I'm in deep conversation about matters of faith or am in the middle of a stressful issue and I finally feel settled about the issue at hand, I naturally take a deep breath, signifying that my heart is at some sort of resting point and I can walk away from the current issue. (Props to Leah for helping me figure that out about myself...)
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So tell me: what are your thoughts on transformation? What experiences of transformation have impacted your life greatly-- whether they are physical, material, literal, or spiritual?
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** These excerpts came from 2 Corinthians 4:7-18. I preached a sermon on this passage last summer and it can be found here in my blog.
1 comment:
Just so you know, this was just what I needed to "hear" today. Thanks for that. I think of you often, my friend!
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