The Architect

Why? The age old question.  Why does this happen to that person?   After our dog was diagnosed with a tumor (cancer) a couple of weeks ago, I was struggling with this question.  I had lunch with one of the pastors at church.  She patiently listened to me and felt my pain.  She did not try to placate me with words like "everything happens for a reason" or "God has a plan".  She listened, and listened  and listened some more.  She did not offer words, she just let me talk through the thoughts going through my head. After lunch she gave me a book to read entitled "Why? Making Sense of God's Will" by Adam Hamilton

Some of you may be wondering why I would be asking that question about a dog.  First, if you aren't an animal lover you may not fully understand.  Second, she (our dog) is just over a year old - much too young to have this kind of problem.  And third, it brought back memories of 3 years ago when I saw the x-rays where the bone was gone (for me, my hip and for her the bottom part of her leg).  I had a hard time coming to terms with what this meant for her.  And thinking about having to go home and tell my daughters what this was going to mean, as well.

One of the chapters in the book (it is a quick read - I read the entire book on a plane ride) discusses "collaborating on the story of your life".  This spoke to me.  We have all heard someone say "God has a plan for your life."  But there is also the discussion of free will.  If we have free will, then how can God have a plan for your life.

My interpretation, after reading the book, is that God has a blueprint.  I'm not an architect (nor have I played one on TV as the old commercial goes), but I do know that a blueprint is a plan, a starting point.  Thinking in terms of building a home, it is easy for a new homeowner to think "oh, I would like to be able to put the refrigerator over there" after seeing the walls go up.  A thought like that can have several different impacts to the architect.  If you put the refrigerator there, we can't put the sink here and the stove won't fit there.  The cabinets that were ordered may not fit.  Or perhaps while looking through design magazines the excited home owner sees a new design that they want to incorporate. While these changes may seem small to the owner, the architect is behind the scenes adjusting the blue prints so that the new homeowner's vision becomes seamless.

In this scenario, I am the homeowners and God is the architect.  Decisions by me, or even by those around me that may impact me, or perhaps even a force of nature like a tornado or fire, change the plans.  God takes the decisions/events in our lives and makes the adjustments to the blueprints.  It is our choice to look at the new blueprints and decide if we like the new design.  God can take the challenges and the decisions that may not have been in the original plans and turn them into something beautiful.

Every day the new blueprint is placed before us, we have to make the decision to accept the changes or throw them out. Which decision will you make?

Resurrect Personal Connections

Social media and the myriad of choices available.  I use Facebook mostly for my social media.  But I also have a twitter account and I use Instagram.  Then there is Snapchat.  I mostly just use that with my daughter in college.  And then there is LinkedIn (does anyone really use this for networking?)

I find it all a little crazy.  When it the right time to use Twitter vs. Facebook.  And since you can post from Twitter to Facebook is it overload?  What about Instagram? I used to just post pictures directly to Facebook.  Now, we use Instagram and use filters to make the pictures look like they were taken in the 1970's and they have faded.  Glad we have upgraded our technology...

I was with a bunch of high school kids at a church event and we were doing an Instagram Scavenger Hunt.  I told the kids that since they had to be in the pictures I would take them and post them with the Hashtag.  One of the kids said "YOU have an Instagram?"  "Yes" I replied "I have kids that keep me up to date"  That brought a laugh from everyone but it was a reality check.

Why do we have to have so many different ways to connect?  And does it make our connections any better?  Do we connect differently now because we have these social media hubs.  I'm sure there are even more that I have no idea about.  I'm pretty sure that my college age daughter uses some other apps that connect her to different groups at school.  But is it all too much?  What happened to have a face to face conversation (and I don't mean FaceTime).

How many times have you been out to dinner and noticed that at the table next to you there are 4 people and none of them are talking to each other.  Instead they are looking at their phones and either posting pictures of the food they are eating or reading updates from others.  Or, they are just texting the next person that they are going to see.  How sad that a phone with the world in your hands makes you  not see the world right in front of you.

I admit I have been that person with the phone on the table waiting to see who would text/call or Facebook me while I was out.  I have tried to make an effort to put the phone away while with people.  Let's get back to making connections with people in person.  It is a skill that is dying, let's resurrect it.