Oh my God, I’m just like Pilate O_o

There are several places one can go with this. For instance:  I’m constantly putting Jesus on trial and demanding him to answer the “why’s” in my life; or, Even though I have the power to stop it, I really don’t wanna deal with the consequences of this hard decision… so I’ll leave it up to the ones who are obviously overreacting and wash my hands of it. Both things I have done. Multiple times.

The direction I’m heading is: I was just fine dealing with my halfhearted convictions until I ran into Jesus. In John 18:33-37, Jesus is before Pilate. Pilate is having a hard time understanding why it is that Jesus is not defending himself. “Why does this man not get that I can kill him or save his life?”

Where I am like Pilate: Because of all the things I have been learning I have tried to be inclusive and open minded, however when I encounter the conviction of Jesus I am left with the realization that I have become lost. I have let go of some truths.

The good part: But, good news! If Jesus’ conviction stops you in your tracks, you can turn and run the other way, back to the things you left. There are truths that we must find in God, and some no one else can find for you. But they are there. Do not give up. Some days I still am much like a dumbstruck Pilate. But hey, I’m not done growing yet.  

Done trying to be Divine

I realized something the other day whilst thinking of this blog (that I have failed to add to in almost a year); I have been so worried about producing something profound that I felt nothing was good enough. Well I apologize, because that fails my whole premise of simply trying to state observations and vent frustrations.

So here it is, I'm DONE trying to be DIVINE. As a matter of fact we should all quit trying to be divine.

 My observation is this: "spiritual" people forget that they are just people like the rest of us, especially when they are giving advice.

Most of us have heard the phrase "too heavenly minded to be any earthly good" but no one told me that it can sneak up on you. I was a chaplain this summer in hospice care. My goal was to bring hope and comfort to those in a difficult time. And isn't that what anyone truly wants when hard times hit? HOPE?? Well all the advice and spiritual thinking in the world does no good to someone staring at death and disease, or stumbling through Alzheimer's or dementia. Honestly it does no good for anyone who feels no control over their life or the situation. So what is the solution? How do you provide hope? It is amusingly simple. Be yourself. Be confused, be unsure, but ABOVE ALL just be present with them. If I may share some advice and issue a challenge at the same time: it is not the divine-ness of your answers that will comfort people. It will be in your own humanness and craziness. So be human. Let your craziness hang out, and don't be afraid of rejection. Sometimes people need to excise some control during a time when they feel they have none.