Gratitude Of The Week: Being Ourselves In Christ

I had dinner twice with my friends from my old church this week. While our mutual friend was having a baby on Christmas, we had a back up plan that we would dinner ourselves while wishing her a safe birth. It was great. The conversation that we had was organic. We hardly knew each other at the time. But we were getting to know each other better and I felt like we were comfortable with each other to talk about faith deeply.

Then on the second dinner, I brought my roommate to meet with them. At a good start, we all felt like ourselves and had a good conversation. It was awesome to hear them speak at the heart level and were not shy to answer honestly. They were strangers and now they're friends.

I'm grateful that God has brought us to be who we are in Christ and be comfortable with each other even though we were strangers to each other. Being honest and being ourselves even if a baby was there getting all the attention, the Christ's love between us was evident. I love it. I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

Gratitude Of The Week: Listening To Hearts And Minds

Tonight, I went to the Spot Coffee, a local coffee shop in downtown Rochester, to support my friends on Open Mic Night. They're hams. They love performing their artwork and their passion behind the mic and in front of the people. This week, we dressed up in classy outfits and two people won the contest. One male and one female; they won a free drink at the shop.

For two hours, I listened to many different young people go up and speak their pieces: poetry, songs, essays, and readings. It was a good cultural experience in the local area where people would share a piece of their hearts and minds in their artistic ways.

After the show, I got to meet new people and listen to their experiences. It was a good night to support my friends and attend with one. It was fun to dress up, too. I would like to go more in the future. I think it's a time of luxury for me.

I love spending time with my friend, Deb. I love listening to her. Any chance I'd get to hear her in person is like a birthday gift to me. Not that it is rare to meet with her, I just love her so much.

Prelude To Gratitude Of The Week

After speaking with some sisters as I was wrestling with what some brothers taught, I thought I would give in and apply this one to my life. "Write three gratitudes or positive experiences a day." As much as I would shudder at the thought of life applications of the Bible, I think writing down gratitude would be helpful. After all, as Christians, we need to do this for the sake of glorifying God who is the ultimate giver.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. - Philippians 4:4-9 (ESV)

Why would I shudder, you may ask? For a long time, I was taught to be thankful which is not a bad teaching at all. But as to what we are thankful for, I was conflicted. There are always people who are more fortunate than I am and there are always people who are less fortunate than I am. To compare to the more fortunate ones, I was taught not be jealous or to covet. Fair statement -- it followed the tenth commandment. To compare to the less fortunate ones, I was taught to be grateful for what I have in terms of material possessions and security along with the salvation. To apply this kind of gratitude had put me in the weird, conflicted moral position.

I hate comparison. I was hurt a lot by comparison. My mother would compare me to the children of her co-workers. She would tell me what they did and what I lacked or what I should do in the future. It was like I was not good enough for her. It was a part of putting me on a pedestal which put me under a huge pressure of her expectations. Not only her expectations but my entire family's as well. I was their hope to bring them out of financial burdens because my future looked promising when I got accepted into one of the top universities and my field of study was considered to be designed for brilliant minds. In fact, I was promising to them as I was growing up when I started showing my talent of a great academic mind which could lead to fulfillment of the American Dream. But I had to be better than everyone else. I did not speculate this. They told me. Directly. Many times.

In the church,, the life applications were taught as means of alleviating from pains of trials we go through. It was all about "me" in the woes and "I" needed to rely on God to get me out of a trial. "I" needed to have faith hard enough in God in order for him to grant "my" prayers.  "I" had to take the first step and God would take care of everything else. God would grant "me" 'my" wishes of wealth because He promised "me" that He would prosper His children (Jeremiah 29:11 & Psalm 37:4). Because He saved me when I accepted His Son into my heart, He surely would give me everything here on earth, right? Why would He let His children suffer for their lack of material wealth, great career, good marriage, good health, and/or security in America the Christian nation? "I" have the right to equality, liberty and pursuit of happiness as a American Christian. If not, why would God give "me" "my" natural born talents?

Having gratitude is not hard. I'm grateful a lot of times. My life wasn't so hard either (besides my childhood). However, my family's and societal expectations caused me to have severe depression at college. That teaching was detrimental to my faith because my desires were never realized. The lives of Jesus and his disciples were opposite of the that teaching. I was jealous of my friends who did well. I never wanted to compare myself to people in third world countries or people with cancer from American egocentric perspective. But what could I do to be in a grateful mood?

For the past two months, my roommate would often ask me to look for good things in places where I hate to be at. I hated answering that question. I did not want to do positive thinking tactic. Tainted by my past, it was difficult to hear my brother's teaching about gratitude and renewing the mind. Out of context, it sounded like "The Secret". Of course, that was not what my brother was teaching at all.

After hearing my roommate's little sister sharing her gratitude of having relationships with her sisters and friends, I was encouraged to write down my gratitude. Better yet, I thought I would share from the depth of my heart on my blog weekly. Hence the title "Prelude to Gratitude of the Week." I think Thursday would be good. It is the only day when I have day off. It would be a good part of the Sabbath.

Well, I look forward to it. I hope you are, too.

The Feeling Of Gospel Being Alive

I feel this way sometimes: that the gospel is lost in our lives. Not just in my life but in a lot of people's lives. The people that I know. Whether they are Christians or not, in my church or not, in my interest group or not, but definitely in my life, I feel like that the gospel is lost most of the time.

But...

The feeling of the gospel is alive jumps in my heart when I see a friend sacrificing his or her life for another person. Recently this year, two of my friends adopted two Ethiopian deaf kids who are much older than the average adopted age. What is even more remarkable that the adopters are in their early twenties. They worked so hard to raise few tens of thousands of dollars and waited so patiently to adopt from the first day of their marriage. They even barely graduated! And the love they have for the kids are so heart-warming and I sense their agape. Their example of self-sacrificing and agape-giving is truly touching. They paint the picture that reflects the gospel.

Another friend whose parents adopted the two kids off the street. They already have five kids and all the kids already have reached the college age. When they saw two dirty kids wandering on the street, they welcomed them in the house. Somehow, these two kids had problems emotionally and mentally, and I don't know their background. But they decided to take care of the two kids as if they are their own. It's heart-warming. 

Another friend adopted her niece as her own daughter. When she got married, her husband was on board to adopt her. Her parents were drug addicts and didn't care for her at all. Her father's sister stepped in and raised her as if she was her own kid. After seven years of legal custody battle, my friend and her husband finally adopted her. They sacrifice so much for her and they love her unconditionally. 

I got adopted (metaphorically) into a family as a sister. I never have so many brothers and sisters before. The love for each other is overwhelmingly family-like. I am unconditionally loved by many including my current roommates. They are my sisters, too. In return, I want to love unconditionally as well, not just them but everyone else. One of them wants to adopt (legally).

The gospel is alive when people in Christ adopt others as their own, legally or metaphorically. Give them unconditional love and care. They put their whole lives into the others and they fight to sustain for the rest of their lives.

That's what God did and continue to do so. He adopts us as His own children by the sacrifice of His own son. When we are adopted, we change. When we get older and matured, we want to do the same for the others. 

I am sure that the kids who were adopted will grow up to be loving people who have a heart for others like their adopted parents have a heart for them. I pray that this kind of love will pass on without skipping a generation.