Bird Poop

On my study abroad trip last fall, we arrived in Australia in late november. Our first stop was Cairns, Queensland, which is the main launching point for many of Australia's Great Barrier Reef exploration tours.  Before we could actually go out to the reefs, we had to take "Reef Teach," the Australian reef education class. We learned TONS of cool stuff in this class, but I think the thing that stuck with me the most was what our teacher taught us about coral cays.

Coral cays are small islands initially formed when ocean currents deposit loose sediment either on dead coral or at a convergence of currents.  The problem is, that sand on it’s own just gets washed away each time there is a storm or a change in the currents, So how do we end up with so many coral cays when currents are changing all the time and storms come up almost daily?

The answer might disgust you, but I promise I’m going somewhere with this.

Birds of all types spend lots of time flying around the reef because there are TONS of fish for them to feast on. During the night, they fly back to land and nest in the trees and grass, but during the day, when they need to “take a break” they head over to the sand cays. Birds do not only eat fish, but they also eat berries, grasses, and other seeded plants, so what happens when the birds are “relieving themselves” on the cays? The seeds of the plants they’ve eaten recently are deposited on the cays. As a result of being pooped on, the cays grow grasses and plants whose roots hold them together through the storms. I can guarantee you that if cays could talk, they would be saying something like “Seriously? I just got pooped on by like fifty birds! This is the worst day ever!” But if it weren’t for the birds, they would have no hope of weathering the storms that come their way.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4 (NLT)

How often do I look at the bad things that happen to me on a daily basis and use it as an opportunity for anger or frustration rather than joy? How often do I miss all of the blessings the LORD sends me daily because I’m focused on the few negatives? How often do I come to the end of a terrible storm in my life only to forget the trials God blessed me with to give me the roots to weather the storms?

Psalm 130 exemplifies the kind of attitude that I want to learn to have, and the mindset that I need.

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;
    O Lord, hear my voice. 
Let your ears be attentive 
    to my cry for mercy.
If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,
    O Lord, who could stand? 
But with you there is forgiveness; 
    therefore you are feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, 
    and in his word I put my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.
O Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
    for with the Lord is unfailing love 
    and with him is full redemption. 
He himself will redeem Israel
    from all their sins.”

I pray that God will let me always remember his mercy and forgiveness, and that he would make me put my hope in him and let him build up my roots.

Short and Sweet

Sometimes (almost every time) I get carried away writing on here, too bad that doesn't ever happen when I'm writing papers for school... Anyways, I just wanted to briefly hit on some thoughts I've had over the last 24 hours or so.

Several months ago now, I was living with a family in Japan. I was sort of just thrust into their daily routine.  On one of the first nights, we were sitting in the living room after dinner watching TV, and Die Hard was on.  I did not speak a word of Japanese at the time, but I sat and watched and listened as the Moriyama family discussed the plot lines of all 4 die hard movies, complete with pantomimes and onomatopoeia.  I understood exactly what they were saying to each other even though it was in a foreign language and they weren't necessarily directing their comments towards me. This highlighted two things that I have been taught my whole life; 1. People are always watching you, 2. It is possible to communicate certain things effectively even with a massive language barrier.

First, people are always watching you. My parents have been telling me this for AGES. People around you pay attention to the things you say and do, whether or not you want them to. This means that if you aren't 100% authentic at ALL TIMES, people are going to notice. I want to live in a way that is 100% authentic, all the time.

Second, Language is one of the least important factors in communication.  Don't be mistaken, this is not my attempt to say "Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words." Not at all. This is me expressing that I never want to let a language barrier get in the way of communicating God's story of redemption to those around me.

Moral of the story, I'm working to get to a point in my life where A) I don't have to be conscious of people watching me because I know that God reigns supreme in all I do. And B) I stop making lame excuses for not sharing the gospel with people like "They speak Japanese and I don't."

I guess that was more like medium length... my bad....

Fear

There are not a lot of things that scare me. The short list of things that do includes hiding siblings, riptides, people from central Florida, youth group kids sneaking up on me, and apparently storms.

Earlier today I was leaving Walmart after getting supplies for the LDCoC lock in this weekend. I was thoroughly enjoying the torrential downpour and all of the massive puddles it produced for me to drive through, but then a traffic light pole next to me got hit by lightning and I nearly wet myself (sorry if that grosses you out).  I can remember pretty much exactly what I was thinking at that moment, it went something like "I'M GONNA DIE! GOD IS SCARY! MY EAR HURTS!" Yeah, I think that about covers it. I'm still shivering from the fear (not really I just got soaked and now I'm sitting in Starbucks drinking iced coffee and being frozen out by the arctic air conditioning that Texans deem necessary.)

I honestly don't know that I've reflexively thought about how fearsome God is at any other point in my life, but it got me thinking.  Why haven't I ever really acknowledged the scariness of God before? Why is my first reaction when scary things happen to worship my Creator who is powerful and fearsome?

A fairly blatant example of my failure to praise God for his fearsome power came in December at the end of my Pac Rim trip. I was in Hawaii on one of the coolest beaches ever with some great friends doing some body surfing (and generally being unwise).  The first signs of God's power came each time I slightly mistimed my jump on a big wave and my body was SLAMMED into the sand and then twisted around by the force of the waves.  It hurt like crazy, but made me feel pretty alive at the same time.  Then the real fear moment came when I thought "I'll just go out a little further and catch the bigger waves." That was a bad idea. About 10 feet further out I could no longer touch the bottom and upon looking back at shore I realized I was moving out and south at a VERY alarming rate. Pretty soon I was out past the boldest of the surfers DESPERATELY trying to swim my way back in to the beach. Oh I should mention that this beach was probably only about 300 feet wide, surrounded by sharp volcanic cliffs, and I had started at about the middle.  The amplitude of the swells at this point had to be at least 12 feet from peak to trough, and between each all I could see was water. I was too far out to yell at anyone on the beach, and none of the surfers could see that I was in trouble, so I just kept swimming and trying to ride the waves and surf them back in, or at least north up the beach.  After what had to have been 5 minutes of exhausting, water-gulping, leg cramping kicking and swimming, I was back in water that was shallow enough for me to jump off the sand and keep my head above water. After that I basically crawled back onto the sand and sat for a while thinking "Man, I'm lucky."

There I was in the midst of the most obvious display of God's power I had ever felt and I completely missed it. Sure while I was on the beach before I started I acknowledged God's beautiful creation in the blue water, white sand, and black cliffs surrounding me, but when could physically FEEL God's power I failed to acknowledge and praise him for it. More importantly I failed to thank Him for saving me from my own foolishness and instead chalked it up to luck.

I think that my failure to acknowledge is a direct result of my failure to comprehend. Each of these two isolated events has been but a small physical and visual display of God's power, yet somehow I can't seem to be constantly aware of ALL of the things that show God's glory and power.  I'm envious of the attitude shown in many of the Psalms, acknowledging God's ultimate power, for example, Psalm 93;

The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; 

    the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
    indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
Your throne was established long ago;    you are from all eternity.
    the seas have lifted up their voice; 
    the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. 
Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
    mightier than the breakers of the sea—
    the Lord on high is mighty.
    holiness adorns your house 
    for endless days.

The seas have lifted up, Lord,

Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;

Psalm 93 vividly depicts God's power, but included in his power is his love for us, as illustrated in Psalm 46;

God is our refuge and strength, 
    an ever-present help in trouble. 
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way 
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 
though its waters roar and foam 
    and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, 
    the holy place where the Most High dwells. 
God is within her, she will not fall; 
    God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us; 
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done, 
    the desolation he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire. 
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; 
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

In light of God's scary displays of power in my life, I'm thankful that the "LORD almighty is with us."  I'm going to start making an effort to remember God when I feel the power of his creation, and to thank him first when I miraculously live through ridiculous situations I put myself in...