The Definition of Unconditional

 bob-maclafferty  No Responses »
Nov 082015
 

unconditional surrenderUnconditional. Absolute. Complete. Also maybe harsh, inflexible, intolerant. Unconditional surrender. What was required of the Axis powers by the Allies at the end of World War II. What was NOT required of General Lee at the close of the Civil war. Confederate soldiers were permitted to keep their sidearms and their personal horses, one small right act before federal policies and practices continued the devastation of an already crushed South.

Unconditional. A word that refuses forgiveness and opposes redemption.  We even have idiomatic expressions for this [and no, I don’t use that “i’ word very much]. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. A more obscure one- Don’t throw out the champagne with the cork. The idea of going to extremes, such extremes that we discard good along with the bad. We do this all the time. We evaluate an action or decision by a person and write them off completely for that one thing. Unconditional.

Have you ever noticed that the truth about God is often opposite, inverse, antonymic (is that a word?) of and to the truth about us and the sin in our world? God takes that same word, unconditional, and applies it to the way He loves us. Yes, absolute, complete, yes inflexible. And maybe this is why we just don’t get it. When we think unconditional, all we can think of is negative. We can’t seem to let love be in the same sentence with that word!

And yet God continues to force those two words together. Unconditional. Love. In a way that boggles and confounds us.

I am a thorn in Your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
Yes, You love me anyway
Oh, Lord, how You love me.
-Sidewalk Prophets

We pull away from God because we… just…. can’t… believe that anyone could love us with no strings, no conditions, no if’s.

I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That’s how much you mean to me!
That’s how much I love you!
I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.  -Isaiah 43:4 The Message

There it is. The message is clear. He would give…anything…everything… to get you back. That is the measure of His love for you. When that doesn’t make sense to me, it is when I am measuring love from my view, through my eyes. I try to limit God to what I can do, how I can love. This takes me down a path of rejection and denial. No! Not Him rejecting me, but me rejecting a love that makes no sense to my narrow, limited, conditional mind.

I enjoyed the sound of the rain in the predawn darkness this morning. That gentle, uniform, unconditional sharing of life-giving water that blessed our entire valley. I am reminded yet again that God loves me with a love that won’t stop, a love with no strings.

Unconditional.

Identity Crisis

 bob-maclafferty  No Responses »
May 022015
 

identityI finally reached the dusty counter of the country store. I reached back for my wallet… It was gone! All my cash was gone. Worse, I realized that my  identity, my I.D. card, was gone as well! Still worse, I didn’t know the name that was on it. I didn’t know my name! The last large town, I remembered showing my I.D. and having someone tell me, “Sorry, that name is already in use. You’ll have to pick another name!”

A new name? But I’ve always had this name! It made no sense to me, but I had dutifully gotten a new I.D. card with a new name, Freddie. I’d only had the new name for a week when I realized I had lost it. I couldn’t remember my new name! My brother  walked over just then  and said, “Don’t worry. I’m sure that when you called Mom about your name change, she wrote it on the calendar!”

And then I woke up! What a dream. The rest of the story, including a cattle drive, a handful of Chinese toddlers and a bag of bread…. well we’ll just leave it at that.

I actually did call my Mom early yesterday morning, more as a joke than anything, I think. Just checking the calendar.

So, if I was in doubt about my identity, who better to call than Mom! Mom and Dad gave me a name before I was born. They guarded my first steps. The guided my words and actions as I grew. They built things into me that became who I am. Regardless of my foibles as a child or adult, they always remind me where I belong and that I have a place in their hearts. That is a powerful and grounding thing.

Not all of us are blessed with receiving powerful and grounding identity from their parents. There is still one better source for identity. One best source for connection and belonging.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!     -1 John 3:1 NIV.

Look higher! There is one foolproof method for determining who you are. One reliable Source for clarifying your  identity. One Person who is sure of who you are, who wants you and always has.

I am called a child of God. And that is who I am!

 

A Good Place to Turn Around

 bob-maclafferty  No Responses »
Feb 212015
 
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Have you ever messed up and thought, “How am I ever going to get out of this mess? How do I get this turned around?  I know I have. I’m not going to be talking about my mess today, but someone else’s mess.

A friend comes to you and says, “I’ve really blew it. I borrowed your mower without asking and just backed over it with my truck.” You’re thinking, “That was a BRAND NEW MOWER! I just gassed it up. I just started it once. It’s not even dirty yet!”

I hear second hand that an employee has been very critical of me behind my back. I call her into my office and ask for an explanation. She breaks down crying and said that a decision I made had upset her and she had just started to be openly critical about everything.

Coming in from working in the yard, you surprise your son taking cash from your wallet on the dresser. He desperately tries to cover up.

Made a mess of my whole life
Burned every bridge I crossed
Am I too far gone? Which way is home?
How did I get so lost?

I’m looking for a good place to turn around
And get off this road that I’m headed down
I’ve gotta find some peace of mind
Lord, send a sign somehow
I just need a good place to turn around. –Point of Grace

What environment do I create for people around me who have made mistakes? An environment of criticism, judgement, punishment, and separation? Or do I recognize the wrong deed, accept the apology, lavish forgiveness, and cultivate a renewed relationship?

Do I create a good place for others to turn around? I know Jesus does. Each time, every time. I count on it. Can others count on me for a safe place to turn around? Can I forgive and forget the past and allow others to start over? Making messes, burning bridges, lost… all of us, sooner or later, just need a good place to turn around.

 

Is God Real to Me?

 bob-maclafferty, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Jan 232015
 

I need to rant about God for a few moments. I see popular blogs bashing churches. I see blogs bashing the bashers. Why people are walking out of churches. Why churches think some people should leave….  Why churches think their God only lives within their walls of stained glass and soaring ceilings. Everyone has their opinion of what is real and true.

What is real to me? Is God real to me? Do I even know what that means? What do I really know? Here it is….

Deep in the woods, standing before a roaring waterfall, I grew hoarse raging at God for what was happening in my life. And what do I hear? Him telling me to let it all out. Him trading my anger for peace. That was real.

I struggle through my work week, fighting resentment, defensiveness, selfishness, and impatience. I ignore Him in my actions and words. I fail to reflect Him to my coworkers. And yet, when I come crawling back, exhausted and disillusioned, I feel Him clearly whispering to start again and refreshing forgiveness washes over me. Real.

I walk alone through my beloved redwoods at dawn. Shocked into silence as I crane my neck to see the tops of the trees crowding around me. I can’t seem to choke out a word as I am humbled by the evidence of my Creator God everywhere I turn. That… is so real.

I slide into the pew at church. I feel a strong hand grip my shoulder. Turning, I see white hair and a big smile. My good friend looks me straight in the eye and asks me how I am.  He listens to my doubt and discouragement without wavering or letting go. That…. is God real.

I see a nurse who never, whether in the back of a kindergarten class at church, or zipping down the hall in the hospital, never…ever passes me without a hug. God…in that hug… is real.

I wrestle with indecision, pushing God for answers, the problem too confusing for me to unravel. I finally drop off to sleep. I come sharply awake at 2am and cannot go back to sleep. Rising, I prowl the house, scavenge coffee, end up in my office, writing as my listening turns into thoughts and words and clarity. Wisdom beyond me. An answer full of balance, strength and grace. That is real.

I know what I feel and hear from God in my life. That is real. I match that with what I read in the Bible and it fits.

I know that while I was yet a sinner, Jesus gave His life for mine. I know that He takes me each and every day where I am, and pulls me closer and closer to Him. When I speak harsh words at home, when I criticism creep into my voice with my girls, when my words to coworkers come out sharp and unkind, when I harbor dark thought about those who have wronged me, when I am disgusted with my procrastination and waste, when I ignore hurting people in my path, He takes my sinful, messed up self, just like that, with no qualifications or limits, no reservations or conditions,no prerequisites or boundaries, and sometimes whispers, sometimes pounds a message into my heart. I am loved. I am accepted. I am treasured. I am wanted.  That is real.

I celebrate by letting Him work on me, believing that His work will make me look more like Him. Real.

Is God real to me as I read through a dusty lesson at church, struggling over a teaching full of polysyllabic words and churchisms? Not so much. But His love is real through the touch and acceptance of those around me. Is God real to me as I see church members pulled apart by worship and music style arguments? No, but He is real to me as I lead children singing, “Jesus loves me, this I know…” Is God real to me as I see all the pride, vanity, deceit, selfishness, apathy, and blindness in church? Yes, since all those things find their way into my life and I know I have plenty of like company there. And I know that what’s real is a God who loves to have us bring to Him all our broken puzzle pieces so He can heal and complete and reset us.

Am I one of those walking out of church? Yes! Thank God, Yes! I walk out every week, still messed-up me, but reveling in His creation and hoping to serve. And I walk right back in the next week, to worship, sing, pray, and to touch other sinful, failing people just like me. Very real.

I’ve Gone Too Far

 bob-maclafferty  No Responses »
Jun 262011
 

Have you ever heard someone say,”I’ve gone too far to come back to church now”? Have you ever thought,” I’ve been too bad to come to Jesus now”? It’s a normal human response.  We are used to experiencing relationships with limits and conditions.  Marriages are expected to fail. Families dissolve and children are left out.

Is it difficult to imagine that this is not God’s plan for relationships? Or are we so accustomed to broken promises and commitments that we expect the same from Him?

What do we expect from our work relationships? If our behavior or performance doesn’t measure up to the expectations of the boss, how long will we keep the job?

What do we expect from friends? If we aren’t as charming or entertaining as we were in the past, will we stop getting invitations to parties, events, meals?

What do we expect from our church? If we make the wrong mistake, if our behavior doesn’t match with that of the average member, do we start getting the evil glances, the brush offs, maybe even an invitation to go elsewhere?

I’m so glad that our Father values relationships differently than we do.

It’s not about how bad you’ve been or how far you’ve gone. It’s all about how good He is! Do you honestly think that His sacrifice is not big enough to outweigh your sins? How dare you! How dare I? All the way from Hitler to me, our sins are drowned in His love, our evil is overwhelmed by His goodness!
Do you think you need to get your act together before you come to Him? Do you think you need to clean your life up before you’ll be acceptable? His sacrifice is more about His love and His goodness than about our sin, our shortcomings.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Who’s in my shirt?

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Apr 222010
 

I have several thick, heavy, over-sized flannel shirts that I enjoy wearing in the winter. Sometimes I will plan to wear one, only to have it mysteriously disappear. Later, I will discover it wrapped around something- my youngest daughter!  I know that you can tell from previous blog posts that I share a special relationship with my daughters that is an important part of my life! The first time or two that she swiped my shirt, she would respond a little sheepishly when discovered.

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son… “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.”But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. Matthew 22

I told her once that I was happy to have her wear my shirts or jackets any time.  “Whoever is in my clothes belongs to me,” I said. She has an open invitation to wear them whenever she wishes, knowing that I will never rebuke her for doing so.  She belongs to me, and while I say it somewhat jokingly, my shirt covering her is a sign of that fact! Her behavior is irrelevant. Good day or bad, she still belongs to me. That can never change.

The king welcomed everyone in to the banquet, good and bad. He freely provided wedding garments so that all would be comfortable and feel that they belonged.  The garment was a visible sign of approval, of belonging. Jesus said that His kingdom is just like that!  He freely provides the beautiful garment of His righteousness to us. We don’t deserve it. Can’t earn it. Can’t beg, borrow or steal it. All we can do is to just accept it. I can see my daughter relaxing in my shirt, relishing the welcome warmth of it, reveling in the knowing that she belongs in it. I can relax in Jesus’ garment, comforted as it covers me completely, knowing that I belong in it, knowing that I belong to Him!