Beauty in Suffering

It's not what they're supposed to look like. In fact they look very unhealthy. I had caught a glimpse of some leaves to the side of the forest road in Kamalasai and noticed the sickly leaves. "But", I thought, "they are very pretty".



The leaves appear to have some sort of disease that turned the edges white, but left a green pattern near the veins. There is beauty in the leaves that was brought about by the affliction. This got me thinking, what I am like when I am not well or when things are not going well? Do I get more beautiful? Or do I just turn withered and brown? Do I suffer gracefully? Or do I gripe and complain?

I always marvel at those who are inflicted with some kind of disability, but who seem to be consistently joyful. I'm not sure I could pull that off. There is a scripture related to this that I find particularly challenging. James writes, "My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials." (James 1:2 - NET) Paul writes in a similar vein, "in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NET)

In everything, really?! In good times AND bad?

When I read these verses, I'm tempted to answer, "No! I don't want to." For me to respond any other way definitely requires the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, and I don't always pull that off successfully.

It's interesting that the Bible's most famous book on the topic of suffering addresses this very point. When Satan was going to test Job, he said to God, "But extend your hand and strike everything he has, and he will no doubt curse you to your face!” (Job 1:11 NET). Job's response to the temptation was, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return there. The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. May the name of the LORD be blessed!” (Job 1:21) And the writer adds this commentary to it: "In all this Job did not sin, nor did he charge God with moral impropriety." (Job 1:22)

From this we see that the non-sinful response to trials is to respond with grace. The implication is that to respond in another fashion could be sinful.

God, by Your Holy Spirit enable me to go through trials with grace. May may life become more beautiful in the face of challenges, like these leaves I saw in the forest.

Good Words

  

My mother-in-law had just died, and we were discussing who would write the eulogy. I had written a blog about this and also the first draft of the official obituary, so my name came up (I declined). Vaguely, I remembered that the meaning of eulogy was something like praise. And I recognized some Greek roots in the word. So I decided to look up the etymology of the word.

The Online Dictionary of Etymology has this:

mid-15c., from Latin eulogium, from Greek eulogia "praise; good or fine language" (in New Testament, "blessing"), from eu "well" (see eu-) + -logia "speaking" (see -logy).

The Strong's Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary has this:

(G2127) εὐλογέω (eulogeō) - from a compound of (G2095) (eu) and (G3056) (logos); to speak well of, i.e. (religiously) to bless (thank or invoke a benediction upon, prosper) :- bless, praise

Or, to put it another way, eulogy means good words.

As we were discussing the life of my mother-in-law after she died, one of the good words that came up was that she never spoke ill of anyone. In other words, one of the good words about her was that she was a woman of good words. What a great legacy. The same can not be said of me.

It's interesting that we typically reserve the eulogy until after someone dies. If we have something nice to say about someone, why wait until they cannot hear? I did once write some good words for my sister's husband while he was still with us and could appreciate them.

We can have a profound positive impact on others when we are people of good words. The Apostle Paul wrote, "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:6 NIV) We all appreciate grace-filled conversations that build us up and encourage us.

Several years ago, I told the story of Kung Nang, who had to overcome words that discouraged her as she learned to play guitar. These days she is a member of the worship band in her church. The power of good words.

James wrote, "With the tongue we praise (eulogumen - ευλογουμεν) our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise (eulogia - ευλογια) and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. (James 3:9-10 NIV). We have a choice to make, we can use our words to eulogize someone, or we can use our words to curse them. Which will it be?

I'm not well known for my construction skills. If you put a hammer in my had it is more often a tool of destruction than of construction. Our words are like a hammer—we can use them to build up or to tear down.

As I write this, we have just received a message from someone noting the power of hurtful words. I, myself, have been the source of hurtful words in the past. But this should not be what characterizes us as believers. A piece of advice we tossed around as children (though we didn't always follow it ourselves) was, "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it." Let us choose to eulogize the living—to be people of good words.


Following is the use of eulogy in the New Testament

Unless marked with asterisks, italicized words are from Strong's Greek 2127: eulogeō = bless, speak well of
All verses from the Lexam English Bible translation.

Matthew 14:19
And he commanded the crowds to recline for a meal on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks. And after breaking them, he gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

Matthew 21:9
And the crowds who went ahead of him and the ones who followed were shouting, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Matthew 25:34
Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!

Matthew 23:39
For I tell you, you will never see me from now on until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Matthew 26:26
Now while they were eating Jesus took bread and, after giving thanks, he broke it, and giving it to the disciples, he said, “Take, eat, this is my body.”

Mark 6:41
And taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples so that they could set them before them. And he distributed the two fish to them all.

Mark 8:7
And they had a few small fish, and after giving thanks for them, he said to set these before them also.

Mark 10:16
And after taking them into his arms, he blessed them, placing his hands on them.

Mark 11:9
And those who went ahead and those who were following were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Mark 11:10
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Mark 14:22
And while they were eating, he took bread and, after giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them and said, “Take it, this is my body.”

Mark 14:61
But he was silent and did not reply anything. Again the high priest asked him and said to him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed* One?”

Luke 1:42
And she cried out with a loud shout and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

Luke 1:64
And his mouth and his tongue were opened immediately, and he began to speak, praising God.

Luke 1:68
“Blessed* be the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited to help and has redeemed his people,

Luke 2:28
he took him in his arms and praised God and said,

Luke 6:28
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Luke 9:16
And taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them and began giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

Luke 13:35
Behold, your house has been left to you! And I tell you, you will never see me until the time will come when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Luke 19:38
saying, “Blessed is the king, the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Luke 24:30
And it happened that when he reclined at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks, and after breaking it, he gave it to them.

Luke 24:50
And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them.

Luke 24:51
And it happened that while he was blessing them, he parted from them and was taken up into heaven.

Luke 24:53
And they were continually in the temple courts praising God.

John 12:13
took the branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, and began crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel!”

Acts 3:26
God, after he had raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning each of you back from your wickedness!”

Romans 1:25
who exchanged the truth of God with a lie, and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed* for eternity. Amen.

Romans 9:5
to whom belong the patriarchs, and from whom is the Christ according to human descent, who is God over all, blessed* forever! Amen.

Romans 12:14
Bless those who persecute, bless and do not curse them.

Romans 15:29
and I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing** of Christ.

Romans 16:18
For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own stomach, and by smooth speech and flattery** they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

1 Corinthians 4:12
and we toil, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure;

1 Corinthians 10:16
The cup of blessing** which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?

1 Corinthians 14:16
For otherwise, if you praise in your spirit, how will the one who fills the place of the outsider say the “amen” at your thanksgiving, because he does not know what you are saying?

2 Corinthians 1:3
Blessed* is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

2 Corinthians 9:5
Therefore I considered it necessary to urge the brothers that they should go on ahead to you and make arrangements in advance for your generous gift** that was promised previously, so this would be prepared as a generous gift** and not as grudgingly granted.

2 Corinthians 9:6
Now the point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully** will also reap bountifully**.

2 Corinthians 11:31
The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed* forever, knows that I am not lying.

Galatians 3:9
So then, the ones who have faith are blessed together with Abraham who believed.

Galatians 3:14
in order that the blessing** of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Ephesians 1:3
Blessed* is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing** in the heavenly places in Christ,

Hebrews 6:7
For ground that drinks the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth vegetation usable to those people for whose sake it is also cultivated, shares a blessing** from God.

Hebrews 6:14
saying, “Surely I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply you.”

Hebrews 7:1
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

Hebrews 7:6
But the one who did not trace his descent from them collected tithes from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.

Hebrews 7:7
Now without any dispute the inferior is blessed by the more prominent.

Hebrews 11:20
By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things that were going to happen.

Hebrews 11:21
By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

Hebrews 12:17
For you know that also afterwards, when he wanted to inherit the blessing**, he was rejected, because he did not find an occasion for repentance, although he sought it with tears.

James 3:9
With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.

James 3:10
From the same mouth come blessing** and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so!

1 Peter 1:3
Blessed* be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 3:9
not repaying evil for evil or insult for insult, but on the other hand blessing others, because for this reason you were called, so that you could inherit a blessing.**
Revelation 5:12
saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise**!”

Revelation 5:13
And I heard every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea and everything in them saying, “To the one who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb be praise** and honor and glory and power forever and ever.”

Revelation 7:12
saying, “Amen! Praise** and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!”

* Strong's Greek 2128: εὐλογητός eulogētos = to bless, well spoken of, worthy of praise

** Strong's Greek 2129: εὐλογία: eulogia = commendation, blessing

Breaking Tradition

For Thanksgiving this year we decided to break tradition in a couple of ways.

The first way we broke tradition was in our menu choice. Rather than turkey or duck, we opted for roasted chicken. It's not often that we've had turkey for Thanksgiving here in Thailand, as imported frozen turkeys are expensive (about US$100 for a cheap one). While there are some turkeys grown locally, they are not that common—though I have seen some wandering around Kamalasai. The meat from these turkey's is likely not so tender, either. Another nice thing about the chicken is that it was a good size for the two of us.

We also had string bean casserole, without the fried onions and cooked on a stove-top. We were going to have mashed potatoes, but opted for mashed sweet potatoes since we had them. These ended up with a unique color because we mixed brown and orange varieties. The stuffing was more-or-less normal.

Thanksgiving Dinner

We always like to have sweet potato pie with our Thanksgiving. This ia a tradition we picked up when we lived in Alabama. Through the years, the nature of the sweet potato pie, though, has been a bit variable, depending on the type of sweet potatoes that we can find depending on where we have lived. In our slight variance from normal this time around, we used purple Japanese sweet potatoes. Taste is similar to the orange variety, but the color adds quite a different character to the final product.

Purple Sweet Potato Pie

Another way we broke with tradition is that we celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday twice. While we wanted to invite some Thai friends over for a traditional holiday meal, we have found in the past that our North American foods are not always appreciated by our Isaan friends. We have sometimes prepared lots of food only to have little of it eaten. So we decided to have a separate celebration and let our friends help decide the menu. The word hamburgers came up in the conversation.

Ingrid made some dough for the buns ahead of time using a zwieback recipe. Ngok and View helped roll out the buns. (Sorry, Mennonite friends, these zwieback did not have the cap on top.)

Buns, Ready to Cook

Finished Hamburger Buns

I was in charge of the meat. The charcoal cooker we borrowed was a bit small, so it took a while to cook all the burgers that I had made.

Grilling the Burgers

Ngok and View cooked the french fries.

Making the French Fries

We only had three people join us at the actual meal. Several people couldn't make it, but Ngok and View put together some plates for them.

Decorating the Burgers

In the end, we had a good time at both celebrations. After all, Thanksgiving is not about what we put in our mouths, it is about the God who provides good things for us to eat.

For every creation of God is good and no food is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.
1 Timothy 4:4 (NET)

Thanks+giving

Early last week in my Bible readings I came to Psalm 50.

Psalm 50:8 begins "I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer."

Then the next verse begins with that scary word:

BUT

But what?

I'll paraphrase the next verse this way:

"But I really don't need them because they are already mine."

God seems to be saying that it's great that the people were offering sacrifices but he didn't really need them.  Which seems a bit confusing, and that's where verse 14 adds some clarification:

Make thankfulness you sacrifice to God and keep the vows you made to the most high. (Psalm 50:14 NLT)

The Psalmist is trying to tell us that there is a wrong way to give.

If we think that everything we have belongs to us, and that WE are giving to God out of OUR stuff that we earned, be might have a bit of a bad attitude when we give it.  Paul alludes to this in 2 Corinthians 9:7 where he writes that we are to give cheerfully, not grudgingly.  When we give, it is out of recognition that everything we have is God's.  We then return a portion to God out of thanks for what He has given to us.

Offering and Thanksgiving are inextricably linked:

Thanks=Giving

(Maybe I'm getting a couple of holidays mixed up here.)

The Psalmist alludes to another kind of bad giving attitudes in verse 14: "keep the vows you made".

Some people make vows to God.  A vow goes something like this:

"You do this for me, I'll do this for You."

So if God comes through on His end of the deal, we then offer whatever it is we said we would offer.  It's a simple transaction.  But sometimes we might have an attitude problem.  We might be handing over payment with a bit of reluctance--not wanting to part with our hard earned stuff for what we have received, like maybe we resent having to pay so much for something.

"Bad attitude", the Psalmist writes.  What should our attitude be?

Make gratitude your attitude.

Give--and give thanks.

Many years ago I was working for an organization and one of the employees was helping me load my truck with supplies.  When we were done, I thanked him.

He then began to exclaim, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" over and over again.

I told him I was confused, he had helped me load my truck, so why was he thanking me?  He replied, "Because you said, 'thank you.'"

I drove away in tears.  This man had worked many years for this Christian organization, but when it was time to get paid, it was just a transaction.  Payment for services rendered.  No sign of gratitude (at least not in a way that was meaningful to him).

I had to ask myself, "What is my attitude?  Do I have an attitude of gratitude?"

Let our giving be thanks and our thanks be giving.  It's easy to mouth the words, "Happy Thanksgiving."  It takes a bit more effort to show we are truly thankful.

Being Grateful

It’s not a good sign when you have aquatic plants as your front lawn.  But such is the case for many poor people living on this back road in Ang Sila.

The rainy season is supposed to end by Loy Krathong (a festival which fell on November 28 this year), an old fellow told me.  And it couldn’t be soon enough for some of these people.

I took the picture above several days before Loy Krathong.  Several days before some of the heaviest rains we’ve had.

This was the neighborhood where we held VBS a couple of weeks ago.  The VBS program was held at the home pictured below.  The gray-haired lady was our host.  An MB Mission team had helped fix up her flood prone home.  They raised it a little bit and gave it a concrete floor—although I don’t think they raised it enough to be above the current water level.  The woman and several others have since come to Christ, though they don’t get to church much because they have no transportation to get them there.



Ingrid and I had come back to the neighbor hood to inquire about a girl we met during VBS. This girl had a chronic leg infection and Ingrid had treated it some and we wanted to see how it was doing.  We did not know exactly where she lived and so we were traveling with Upa—another woman from the church who lives close by.  But when we came to the flooded area Upa said we shouldn’t go into the neighborhood.  She told us we’ll get a rash on our leg—and she should know—she lives on the back side of the same swamp in a house that is also prone to flooding.



It is hard to know what to do with situations like this.  One wants to help, but how?  This neighborhood is built on a depression—a low spot where all the rainwater collects.  Upa said it would be a least a week until it dried up—and that was before several more days of rain.  The original houses in the area were built on the few high spots in the area.  If it were in America, no one would be allowed to put up a community in a swamp without doing something to get rid of the water (However frail it might be as we learned in the case of New Orleans).  But here in Thailand, the poor have to live somewhere and the options are few.  So they settle where they can, even if it is a swamp.

On the night of Loy Krathong, we watched the fireworks and flying lanterns that mark the holiday from the dry safety of our 6th floor apartment.  (The orange star-like things in the photo are actually balloon-like lanterns the are set afloat in the sky.)  We are grateful for such housing.



But we and the Thai believers from Ang Sila church still think about the plight of those living in the swampland neighborhood.  Not only are they physically poor, they are also spiritually poor as well.  During VBS, many children indicated a desire to follow Jesus.  The Ang Sila church now grapples with how to follow up on this VBS.  How do we bring the gospel of Jesus to this neighborhood?  How do we not just tell them about the love of God but also show them the love of God?

The bigger question is, how do we not grow calloused after seeing this kind of situation again and again throughout Thailand?  It is too easy to just throw our hands in the hair and say, “well, this is too big for me to deal with,” and so do absolutely nothing.  We pray that we might find ways to show our gratefulness to God by doing things that others can be grateful to Him for.

As James writes:
¹⁴ What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?
¹⁵ Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing,
¹⁶ and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
James 2:14-16 (NLT)