I was in my early 20s the first time I took a spiritual gifts test. It was in conjunction with a battery of other tests, so while I was trying to figure out if I was more of a "P" or a "J" (definitely a "J"), I was also trying to figure out what the gift of prophecy looked like on someone who didn't wear a robe and sandals and eat bugs in the wilderness. I was motivated to get to the bottom of that one quickly, and was happy to learn it meant pointing others toward biblical truth. I could also make pretty good sense of "teaching," and was pleased to learn that it often went along with studying, of which I am a fan. But as this particular test focused on your top three spiritual gifts, I still had one more to ponder: "exhortation." That was a big word, and I only had the vaguest notion what it meant. With two spiritual gifts and four personality traits to deal with, I decided my plate was full and forgot about it.
Cut to this weekend, when our pastor spoke on exhortation, specifically Hebrews 3:13. He gave the most helpful example, especially for a person (me) who has spent the past year studying the early Israelites. On several occasions, mass grumbling broke out among God's people, despite the fact that God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt, parting the Red Sea so they could escape, and then had sustained them with manna from heaven, water from rocks, and a pillar of cloud/fire so that they'd know where to go and that He was with them. What if, when the first grumbler started in, his buddy next to him said, "Hey, I know this is hard and your kids are thirsty and tired of walking, but that pillar of fire right there? That's God! He's with us. He's made promises to us that He's going to keep, and He's going to take care of us along the way. Let's keep our eyes on Him and trust Him to do what He said."
That's exhortation. It simply means motivating people to have faith. It's reminding our friends of God's faithfulness and goodness, even when times are hard. It's helping them remember all the ways He's cared for them in the past and faith-talking them into believing He's not going to leave them now. It reminds me of when my son was little. He is by no means a natural encourager. I used to push him and his baby sister up a steep, rutted-out hill on our daily power stroll, and at first, he'd tell me he didn't think I was going to make it. "It too steep, mommy. We can't do it!" But I could do it; I just had to try really hard. And I needed someone to believe in me and not tell me it was impossible. We had a little talk, and I told him I needed him to encourage me, that if we were ever going to get up that hill, I needed him to be on my team. He learned to cheer me on. I can still hear his little-boy voice saying, "You can do it, mommy. Keep going, mommy, almost there!" It never got easier, but with him cheering for me, we were never defeated, either.
Today, I have a handful of friends who keep me from grumbling and doubting and quitting. They let me be real. I don't have to put on a happy face and fake it. But they're not going to let me turn around and quit when I face a steep spiritual hill. They're going to remind me of what God has already done for me. They're going to faith-talk me and cheer for me. They'll even give me a good, swift kick if I need it. I'll do the same for them. That's the essence of Hebrews 3:13, played out in living rooms and coffee shops and hiking trails where we do life.
"As long as it's called today, exhort one another." Find someone you can exhort today. It may be your spiritual gift, or maybe it's not. Doesn't matter. Just tell someone to keep going, to keep their eyes on God, and to trust in His faithfulness. This life is crazy hard, and we need all the exhortation we can get.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Sanctified Imagination
"Left to myself, my imagination is a lunatic ricocheting around the walls of my mind. The wild-eyed, slobbering imagination is destructive. An untamed imagination is the playground and rat wheel for worry, lust, bitterness, greed, and unholy fantasies. Will my imagination function as a gift from God or as a soul-decaying cotton candy from the Enemy?"
Jean Fleming, Pursue the Intentional Life
Until I read this passage, I wasn't thinking much about imagination. We see it in our kids and think it's cute, but do we recognize what a major role imagination plays in our own grown-up minds? Fear, dread, anticipation, and excitement are all functions of imagination. Our minds conjure up all sorts of pictures and expectations about what's coming up. We imagine how things are going to play out, and our emotions respond according to the picture the imagination has crafted.
Jean Fleming, in her wisdom, prescribes a sanctified imagination. She also calls it a disciplined imagination. The idea is the same: it's an imagination brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. God's the one who created us with imagination; surely it's one of the ways we are created in His image. He put it there to guide us to Him. Who can begin to fathom His greatness without a deeply engaged imagination? Who can ponder heaven except through imagination? When we read the Bible, we read through imagination. We picture Jesus scribbling in the sand before the condemned woman. We imagine her sense of dread and fear and shame and horror. We put ourselves in her place when Jesus tells her to go and sin no more. We can imagine her shock and relief, her overwhelming gratitude. Our imaginations take us there.
Without imagination, the parables mean nothing. Jesus very rarely came right out and explained them. He left it to the people in His hearing. He left it to us. Guided by Holy Spirit-infused imagination, we can begin putting the pieces together, making connections, seeing Kingdom values through earthly examples.
We can only begin to understand the Trinity relationship through imagination. Or the transfiguration, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. The Bible gives us good details and eyewitness accounts, but how can we begin to take them in if not through our imaginations?
Like every other good thing given to us by God, though, imaginations can so easily become corrupt. A mind ruled by uncontrolled imagination can become schizophrenic. A body ruled by untamed imagination can become enslaved to porn and twisted desire. A heart left to its own imagination places unrealistic expectations on its loves and is chronically disappointed.
Let's make this more practical. Sanctified imagination is a choice. When I picture my kids leaving the nest, I can imagine myself feeling sad, lonely, and purposeless, or I can imagine the wonderful new opportunities I'll have (not to mention the cute little car I'll get to drive). When I ponder my own old age, I can imagine sickness and hopelessness, or I can imagine the sweet wisdom and contentment that come with age. If I face a cancer diagnosis, will I imagine it destroying my life, or will I imagine how God will use it for my good? Do I anticipate the future with fear and worry or with peace and hope? It all boils down to my imagination. Will I bring it under the control of the Holy Spirit, or will I let it become the lunatic ricocheting around the walls of my mind?
Lord, sanctify every part of me, even the parts of me I don't think much about. I give You control of my imagination. Tame it. Sanctify it. Use it to give me a fuller understanding of who You are.
Jean Fleming, Pursue the Intentional Life
Until I read this passage, I wasn't thinking much about imagination. We see it in our kids and think it's cute, but do we recognize what a major role imagination plays in our own grown-up minds? Fear, dread, anticipation, and excitement are all functions of imagination. Our minds conjure up all sorts of pictures and expectations about what's coming up. We imagine how things are going to play out, and our emotions respond according to the picture the imagination has crafted.
Jean Fleming, in her wisdom, prescribes a sanctified imagination. She also calls it a disciplined imagination. The idea is the same: it's an imagination brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. God's the one who created us with imagination; surely it's one of the ways we are created in His image. He put it there to guide us to Him. Who can begin to fathom His greatness without a deeply engaged imagination? Who can ponder heaven except through imagination? When we read the Bible, we read through imagination. We picture Jesus scribbling in the sand before the condemned woman. We imagine her sense of dread and fear and shame and horror. We put ourselves in her place when Jesus tells her to go and sin no more. We can imagine her shock and relief, her overwhelming gratitude. Our imaginations take us there.
Without imagination, the parables mean nothing. Jesus very rarely came right out and explained them. He left it to the people in His hearing. He left it to us. Guided by Holy Spirit-infused imagination, we can begin putting the pieces together, making connections, seeing Kingdom values through earthly examples.
We can only begin to understand the Trinity relationship through imagination. Or the transfiguration, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. The Bible gives us good details and eyewitness accounts, but how can we begin to take them in if not through our imaginations?
Like every other good thing given to us by God, though, imaginations can so easily become corrupt. A mind ruled by uncontrolled imagination can become schizophrenic. A body ruled by untamed imagination can become enslaved to porn and twisted desire. A heart left to its own imagination places unrealistic expectations on its loves and is chronically disappointed.
Let's make this more practical. Sanctified imagination is a choice. When I picture my kids leaving the nest, I can imagine myself feeling sad, lonely, and purposeless, or I can imagine the wonderful new opportunities I'll have (not to mention the cute little car I'll get to drive). When I ponder my own old age, I can imagine sickness and hopelessness, or I can imagine the sweet wisdom and contentment that come with age. If I face a cancer diagnosis, will I imagine it destroying my life, or will I imagine how God will use it for my good? Do I anticipate the future with fear and worry or with peace and hope? It all boils down to my imagination. Will I bring it under the control of the Holy Spirit, or will I let it become the lunatic ricocheting around the walls of my mind?
Lord, sanctify every part of me, even the parts of me I don't think much about. I give You control of my imagination. Tame it. Sanctify it. Use it to give me a fuller understanding of who You are.
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