WHAT DO YOU THINK?
This morning I sat in a waiting room. As I sat there a gentleman came walking past and happened to sit down in the same area by a friend of mine and myself. He finished his conversation on the phone and we entered into conversation. Jason was his name. A visitor from Canada waiting for the ok to have his leg amputated, recovering from having his left arm amputated. A member of the Canadian Air Force Royale, he had suffered a nightmare of an injury in his recent deployment to Iraq. A misguided missile exploded near his jet as he was about to take off, collapsing the cockpit, melting his left hand to the center stick.
As we talked, he mentioned how he arrived in Boise. Because he is NOT an American citizen, he has run into road blocks to receive the proper treatment. But there he sat in the waiting room with us. He hasn’t left the hospital since he arrived, legs bandaged still, and awaiting the day where they will amputate. Awaiting cash and his family from Canada, he literally has been in a waiting room emotionally and physically.
As we talked he mentioned how much of a nightmare it has been. As he talked, he shared a brief insight into his political views and his frustration with his current situation. I’m not sure what he believes, but nonetheless, my heart was stirred, and it made me think.
“A Passion for God, Compassion for people.” What does that mean? The story above is just part of what has caused me to stop and THINK. Yesterday I listened to a conference call and a statement was made that made me THINK. “Our current world has prevented us from being bored, with all the technology and gadgets out there; we have no need to sit and be bored.”
When I was younger the word was like a four-letter, swear word in our house. We weren’t allowed to be bored. Today we’re not allowed to be bored. Or maybe the statement would be better if it stated, “We’re no longer allowed to THINK.” Scripture mentions how Mary stored up and pondered such things in her heart. When was the last time you pondered? Really stopped to think about what you believe?
The world does a great job of thinking for us. We have instant information 24/7. It’s available to us. The latest analysis, discussion, and insights are written and produced and then displayed in front of us in newspapers, television, movies, and the internet. We no longer have to THINK. We hear things and often times assume it to be the truth. We rationalize and find the opinions that make sense. The world tells us what is right. The media tells us what we should tolerate. We’re told how to vote, what to believe, and what to value. We no longer have to THINK about what we believe and why we believe it, because other sources do it for us.
What exactly is a passion for God suppose to look like? What’s it suppose to mean? What does compassion for people look like? Why should I have compassion for people? Who is God? What is truth? What is wrong? What is right?
Psalm 19 reads, “The heavens tell the Glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies.” Have you ever stopped to THINK about the ways in which God displays himself to us?
Where am I going with this? The last couple of days I saw a rainbow declaring the promise of our Lord, I stopped to THINK. Then two nights ago I saw a moon that rose in splendor across a row of clouds that beamed with light. And I stopped to THINK. Last night, I listened to a conference call about young adults and sexuality. And I stopped to THINK. Today I sat across from a man discouraged, homesick, and hurting. And I stopped to THINK.
In a matter of days I’ve seen the beauty of God displayed, and in a matter of days I’ve seen the ugliness of the enemy displayed. It made me stop and think.
“And now dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. FIX your thoughts on what is TRUE and HONORABLE and RIGHT. THINK about things that are PURE and LOVELY and ADMIRABLE. THINK about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”(Phil 4:8) What is true? What is honorable? What is right? What is pure? What is lovely? What is admirable? What is excellent? What is worthy of praise? THINK about it!
