Love and Justice

Another response paper for a Social Justice class that I am in. My prof liked it, so I figured I would pass it on in hopes that others would too. Many people think that Justice is confined to the Old Testament, when it really isn’t. Love hasn’t replaced justice, it is magnified by justice. Enjoy!

The definition of justice in the Old Testament is vital to our understanding of justice today. Many theorists have placed the idea of inherent rights in the fourteenth century. If justice was not rooted in the Bible, then the fourteenth century definition (Wolterstorff, 2008) would be irrelevant to the contemporary Christian practice of justice. It would be based on the evolution of human thought instead of the basis of Christian faith, the Word of God.

In the Old Testament, justice was not an institution, it was a way of life (Wolterstorff, 2008, p.74). The institution came out of an understanding of inherent human rights. God loved the people of Israel, and all people, so he called them to practice justice. He held them accountable to just standards not for justices’ sake, but because of the worth that people had to God. Through the Old Testament especially, sacrifice for wrong doing is a central theme. Before God’s written law, the Patriarchs had to burn offerings to God for their repentance. Sacrifice, especially to God, would be completely unnecessary in a justice as right order context. The importance of practicing justice was made evident not only to Israel, but also to the surrounding nations. If God’s definition of justice lay in the institution of justice only, he would have no grounds for expecting the other nations to practice justice. How would the other nations know what justice really was if they didn’t have the Law of God? How did the Patriarchs know of justice or Joseph when he distributed grain for all of Egypt and the surrounding people (Genesis 41 & 47)? There was no Law at that time, but people knew because God created everyone with a sense of what is right and wrong.

The entire basis of what is right and wrong is dependent on worth. Since God has infinite worth, we ultimately deprive him of the rights in which he is due( Wolterstorff, 2008, p. 81). He created humans in his image and to deprive them of inherent rights is stripping them of worth. This is not only an act of injustice against the other person, but an injustice against God for defacing his image. This idea is fleshed out in the New Testament.

Jesus is God bringing justice to earth. It is God’s love that motivates justice. Because of God’s love for the world, he brought forgiveness, but also justice. For forgiveness to take place, the victim and perpetrator must recognize the inherent rights that God has as a perfect being and the value that he gave to humans by creating them in his image. Forgiveness cannot be separate from justice (Wolterstorff, 2008, p. 101). Jesus proved that justice was inherent and not defined by social order when he defied the social order of the day by reaching out to the diseased, afflicted, and oppressed. The forgiveness of sins by Jesus’ death on the cross is the central point of the New Testament. Since there cannot be forgiveness without the concept of justice, the entire theme of the New Testament is love and justice. The writers of the gospels showed Jesus’ love for those he came in contact with (2008, p. 117). His public interaction showed that he cared about the equality of people and highlighted the injustices that were being done to them so often. Not only was he there to lift up those who were oppressed, he came to show the backwardness of those who oppressed.

In the Old Testament, God is constantly reminding the Israelites of the bondage he brought them out of in Egypt. In the same way, we can look to Jesus as a constant reminder of the freedom from sin that we have been brought out of. We can also look back to the Old and New Testaments and see the value that God sees in every individual, whether they were called his people or not. The freedom that Christ brought on the cross and the example of love and justice that he showed during his life and death are the basis for all actions that we take as Christians. The idea of the inherent worth of humans, and the treatment of them that follows, is not an idea that originated a thousand years after Christ’s death, but is an idea that is foundational to the writings of the Old and New Testaments. Not only is it conceptual, but practical as well. God called the Israelites and the surrounding people groups to act justly in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, he lovingly gave himself as an example of the practices of justice and forgiveness. As we seek justice, we see Jesus as the perfect example of defending the poor and oppressed, and turning the idea of justice as social order upside-down.

with love, John Paul

Wolterstorff, N. (2008). Justice: Rights and Wrongs. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Who We Remember

He was a young man then, with the hopes and aspirations to continue farming as his father had. He, like so many others in the Vietnam War, had left that dream for a time to secure democracy in another part of the world. The war was a little bit closer to home for him, but he still believed in the cause that he was fighting for. They lost too many men, and he barely even escaped with his own life. He sacrificed his life like so many Americans. Yet, rarely is he respected or given an honorable glance. He is Hmong.

In 1959 the Vietnamese Communist Party began an illegal campaign to use the territory of Laos as part of an effort to conquer Vietnam and imposed Communist rule on the peoples of Laos, against their aspirations and desires. The United States entered into the Vietnam War in 1960. It had directly affected on the Lao/Hmong who lived a peaceful life in Laos, Southeast Asia. The Ho Chi Minh Trail was first used as North Vietnam’s staging area to attack South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The Laotian people were recruited and funded by the U.S. C.I.A. to serve as soldiers… in defense of Freedom and Democracy… alongside with U.S. The “Secret War” began in 1960, and lasted until May 1975. (Lao Veterans of America http://www.laoveterans.com)

The Hmong suffered the most. They were the force of the Secret Army in Laos fighting the North Vietnamese army from 1961 to 1975. The US gave support from the air and to this day, Laos remains the most bombed country in history. Over the 14 years that the war raged on, possibly over 40,000 Hmong were killed fighting the communists and rescuing American pilots. They thought they were helping the American’s defend the Hmong. But the US left, taking its support with it. After the communists came to power in Laos in 1975, the North Vietnamese army targeted the Hmong for their involvement in the war and swept through Laos killing up to 30,000 more Hmong in the first 5 years. Most of the Hmong were forced to flee their homes to Thailand refugee camps. Many Hmong have come to the United States seeking to save themselves and their culture. Most of the time, they are met with negative stereotypes, hostility, economic instability, and culture shock.

Many who fought in the war, and had even lost brothers, fathers, or sons, thought that America would embrace them for the sacrifices they made, but sadly, that was not the case. The secret war birthed a forgotten people, forgotten heroes. As we recognize veterans and thank them for their selfless service, let’s not forget those who sacrificed and have never been mentioned or thought of. Take a moment for the tens of thousands who died on the field fighting our war, rescuing our American heroes. They paid dearly for their sacrifice, losing their homes, their land, and in many cases, part of their way of life.

Learn more about the Hmong people. It is worth your while. A great resource is the book: “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman

The Theme of Justice

The definition of justice in the Old Testament is vital to our understanding of justice today. Many theorists have placed the idea of inherent rights in the fourteenth century. If justice was not rooted in the Bible, then the fourteenth century definition (Wolterstorff, 2008) would be irrelevant to the contemporary Christian practice of justice. It would be based on the evolution of human thought instead of the basis of Christian faith, the Word of God.

In the Old Testament, justice was not an institution, it was a way of life (Wolterstorff, 2008, p.74). The institution came out of an understanding of inherent human rights. God loved the people of Israel, and all people, so he called them to practice justice. He held them accountable to just standards not for justices’ sake, but because of the worth that people had to God. Through the Old Testament especially, sacrifice for wrong doing is a central theme. Before God’s written law, the Patriarchs had to burn offerings to God for their repentance. Sacrifice, especially to God, would be completely unnecessary in a justice as right order context. The importance of practicing justice was made evident not only to Israel, but also to the surrounding nations. If God’s definition of justice lay in the institution of justice only, he would have no grounds for expecting the other nations to practice justice. How would the other nations know what justice really was if they didn’t have the Law of God? How did the Patriarchs know of justice or Joseph when he distributed grain for all of Egypt and the surrounding people (Genesis 41 & 47)? There was no Law at that time, but people knew because God created everyone with a sense of what is right and wrong.

The entire basis of what is right and wrong is dependent on worth. Since God has infinite worth, we ultimately deprive him of the rights in which he is due( Wolterstorff, 2008, p. 81). He created humans in his image and to deprive them of inherent rights is stripping them of worth. This is not only an act of injustice against the other person, but an injustice against God for defacing his image. This idea is fleshed out in the New Testament.

Jesus is God bringing justice to earth. It is God’s love that motivates justice. Because of God’s love for the world, he brought forgiveness, but also justice. For forgiveness to take place, the victim and perpetrator must recognize the inherent rights that God has as a perfect being and the value that he gave to humans by creating them in his image. Forgiveness cannot be separate from justice (Wolterstorff, 2008, p. 101). Jesus proved that justice was inherent and not defined by social order when he defied the social order of the day by reaching out to the diseased, afflicted, and oppressed. The forgiveness of sins by Jesus’ death on the cross is the central point of the New Testament. Since there cannot be forgiveness without the concept of justice, the entire theme of the New Testament is love and justice. The writers of the gospels showed Jesus’ love for those he came in contact with (2008, p. 117). His public interaction showed that he cared about the equality of people and highlighted the injustices that were being done to them so often. Not only was he there to lift up those who were oppressed, he came to show the backwardness of those who oppressed.

In the Old Testament, God is constantly reminding the Israelites of the bondage he brought them out of in Egypt. In the same way, we can look to Jesus as a constant reminder of the freedom from sin that we have been brought out of. We can also look back to the Old and New Testaments and see the value that God sees in every individual, whether they were called his people or not. The freedom that Christ brought on the cross and the example of love and justice that he showed during his life and death are the basis for all actions that we take as Christians. The idea of the inherent worth of humans, and the treatment of them that follows, is not an idea that originated a thousand years after Christ’s death, but is an idea that is foundational to the writings of the Old and New Testaments. Not only is it conceptual, but practical as well. God called the Israelites and the surrounding people groups to act justly in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, he lovingly gave himself as an example of the practices of justice and forgiveness. As we seek justice, we see Jesus as the perfect example of defending the poor and oppressed, and turning the idea of justice as social order upside-down.

Wolterstorff, N. (2008). Justice: Rights and Wrongs. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

love’s firm grasp

I was able to spend a significant amount of time with my parents, my sister, and her two young boys recently. On our way out of town back toward the airport to fly back to Seattle, my sister, her boys, and I stopped by the historic part of town, parallel parked, and walked around for a bit. As we got back to the car, her oldest started to walk around the street side of the car where his seat was located. I grabbed him just in time and spun him around. “I told you to wait!!! It’s dangerous out there on that side,” I told him. “I was just going to my seat!” he said, noticeably upset that he had been scolded by me… and his mother who had also told him to wait. “You may not have even made it there!”

After it was all over we started to be pals again. As we drove through the desert I started thinking about how foolishly I act without even knowing it. I am ready to go a certain way and do a certain thing without any regards for the danger around me. I am in such a rush with a single track mind, just wanting to get to my seat, to my life, to my purpose… to my future. I am spun around so quick with an, “I told you to wait!!” from my Father. I get noticeably upset, unable to comprehend the danger I would have stepped into.

After my tears dry He speaks again, “I get after you because I love you and I want the best for you.” I smile at him and know that He’s right. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

News from St. Ameria and a related post

I recently received word from Edith at St. Ameria in Jinja. Some of the children that she cares for are from the war torn north. Some of the children went back to the north to visit any guardians they may have up there. Some were sent back having learned that there guardians were no longer around. This could mean that over the course of the last few years, they have been victims of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) or that they have moved on, forgetting or dismissing these children as a part of their responsibilities. Either way, these children, already misplaced, are now without whatever family or relation that they had. Please keep them in your prayers.

Response Post to a film about child soldiers in Uganda.

The Lord’s Army

Tribal Conflict

Africa has only recently known borders. Most of Africa is populated by tribal people. Most of the borders in Africa have not been drawn along cultures, people groups, and languages because to do this would be impossible. Instead of tribes being able to live on their land in peace as they had done for generations, country lines demanded country rulers.

Janina Matuszeski and Frank Schneider (2006) examined the correlation between ethnic lines and civil war within the boundaries of recognized 189 recognized countries. The economists found that people, even within the confines of a national border, adhere to other people that think and speak like them and at the fringes of those ethnic lines is where the conflict zones and civil wars break out. The government body usually only represents a fraction of the population who, in turn, watch out for the interests of their ethnicity causing rebel groups to rise up.

This is a pattern that occurs in many places. I am sure that when Joseph Koney first started his resistance, his intentions might have been good. That was a long time ago and since then he has produced evil deeds beyond belief. Many tribal communities have also been introduced to the Gospel and claim to be “Christians” yet still hold strongly to animistic traditions as well. Koney’s kingdom does not sound like the one that Jesus talked about. There is obviously something wrong with his thinking.

The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and many other rebel groups who abduct child soldiers are able to brainwash the children at a very vulnerable age. Even though the family structure is much different and community based among many societies and tribes in Uganda, there is also a sense of caring for one’s-self even among children. Most children go to school away from their parents and when they get back have a lot of responsibility. It is also good to have a lot of children among the Acholi and birth control has generally been looked down upon until recent years. There are a lot of children to take care of and because of HIV and AIDS, there have been fewer parents to care for them. The caretakers, whether it be aunts, uncles, or grandparents have many mouths to feed and have to concentrate on those children who are most likely to succeed. Former child soldiers have been changed, and reintegrating them back into society at any level is a risk. Fear us a big driving force in animistic cultures and fear is what keeps guardians from having their children back. Therefore, social aid not only has to address physical, mental, and emotional care, but also spiritual for the child to succeed.

Matuszeski J., Schneider F. 2006. Patterns of Ethnic Group Segregation and Civil Conflict. Harvard University. Retrieved from http://www.cgdev.org/content/calendar/detail/12518/ on February 18, 2008

The House of War

For our first assignment in Globalization, we were asked to explore the relationship between Globalization and Terrorism. Are they linked? What aspects of Globalization make it more likely?

I was torn on this subject due to hating the fact that 75% of terrorist acts relates in some way back to Islam. Since I have traveled a little bit, I have spent some time with Muslim people. I don’t like the way that they are portrayed in the mass/global media. They are some of the warmest, nicest, and most genuine people I have ever met. But, terrorism still happens (not always relating to Islam) and the issues are so much deeper than I addressed, but this was what I finally came up with. Please comment/discuss.

The House of War

Wherever cultures collide, there is going to be a struggle for what a culture determines as right. Due to globalization, people from all over the world have traveled to new places to learn, take jobs, and seek other opportunities as well. Muslim people do not assimilate very well into the new places that they live in. Western Europe has seen a huge influx of immigrants from Muslim countries. Many Muslim men travel to find greater opportunity for themselves and their family. Some of them have been persuaded by greed or comfort to pursue more Western ideals, dress, and ethics. Young Muslim children are growing up without their father’s present, whether physically or emotionally (not unlike the US). This leaves them open to search for value in other places. Eventually, some are picked up by the local imams and religious leaders that are usually from places such as Saudi and the Gulf States, Egypt, Morocco, and other places where well-educated imams are being sent from to be the religious leaders for the immigrants. These leaders are often more radical in their ideologies and interpretations of Holy Scriptures. They see the West as Dar al-Harb, or the House of war, and part of their purpose as good Muslims is to convert it to Dar al-Islam, or the House of Islam. Once an area has been converted, it cannot revert because it is the house of God.

Globalization affects the Muslim world in many ways. On one hand, you have Muslim people going out, taking their money, investments, and manpower outside of Muslim nations, and on the other hand, you have a huge influx of mostly Western companies, advertisers, and ideals invading Muslim nations as well. Dar al-Harb is taking strides to overcome Dar al-Islam. Along these lines are the battlegrounds for global terrorism. The young, mostly educated men are fighting against the evils of the West, attempting to establish Dar al-Islam for future generations. But, they are also unwilling to address the conflicts of their own worldview, interpretations of their religious leaders, and the responsibility of the demand for Western influence. Others who engage in terrorist acts, like female suicide bombers, do so under coercion from extremists capitalizing on their economic status. The poor have always been among us Globalization has increased the gap and put more money in the hands of the middle class and wealthy, and made the poor much poorer. The poor have often become the recruiting grounds for terrorist organizations who promise poor families an increase in wealth and honor, which they would see nearly impossible to get otherwise.

To conclude, global terrorism and globalization are linked due to the clash of civilizations, values, religions, and markets. Global diversity and technology enable those who want to commit terrorist acts, whether Muslim or not, to find each other and do so relatively easily. Because of Globalization, terrorism isn’t limited to ideological extremists, but effect people who are easily coerced into terrorism (but not limited to terrorism) for a variety of reasons: money, honor, family status, or provision.

Don’t Forget to Breathe

“So keep your head above water, but don’t forget to breathe” – Alexi Murdoch

Since arriving in the Northwest more than 6 months ago, my blog posts have reflected what has been going on with me; disconnected and distant. The transition from YWAM hasn’t been the easiest for me. I went from a family where every one knew each other, shared meals together, cried, laughed, fought, got sick, danced, prayed, and believed together in an environment where we saw new and exciting places every day. We met people, walked in the footsteps of Jesus, Paul, Peter, Moses, Plato Aristotle, and others I have never known or heart of. It wasn’t always glamorous, but it was a constant adventure where we saw immense beauty, but also immense sadness in affluent and developing countries alike.

So, I come back to the worst Northwest winter that anyone can remember, only knowing a couple of people. Is this really where I am supposed to be? It was like stepping into a new country, different people, different types of communication, a different way of life. At first (and sometimes still) I didn’t like it. It is difficult. Nothing made sense, but slowly, the pieces started coming together about why I had been led to such a place, and those pieces are still coming, being fit together in ways I couldn’t imagine to form something that I still cannot make out.

I haven’t been patient, or made all the right decisions, but God has been faithful still. I am learning to be patient, learning about a good community, and most of all, learning to be content in all things, whether it is the location or job of my dreams, or whether I am happy all of the time or not. I have a lot to learn about the difference between my timing, my plans, and what God has for me. He is trustworthy even though I have shown that most of the time I have not trusted Him.

His ways are higher than mine, and he leads me to quiet waters, even though to me they don’t seem so still. He is calling to me, “Don’t forget to breathe,” He says. “Your life and breath is a gift and you can choose to be miserable if you don’t accept it. No matter where you are, no matter how hard the struggle is to keep you head above the water, don’t give up, but don’t forget to breathe. Don’t be so lost in the waves around you that you can’t see that I have given you the opportunity for abundant life every day. Don’t miss this opportunity to take hold of life and live it with everything that you have, to find fulfillment and joy in Me even though the waves are crashing everywhere around you. I’ve got you in the palm of my hand and I have a purpose for this time.”

Lent – Giving up Ignorance

Lent starts in a week.

Different denominations celebrate or observe Lent in a variety of ways. As I was growing up, my parents took (often dragged) my sister and I to church. I never remembered observing lent, and I am not sure if I ever have. This year, however, that is going to change.

Traditionally, the 40 days of lent represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by the devil at the beginning of His public ministry. Why they chose to have it be the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday, I don’t really know, but I am sure there is some tradition that many people have fought and died over. Lent is a tradition. Some argue that it is a pointless tradition not based in the Bible at all. During Lent, observers give up, or fast something that they are generally accustomed to, some take it to the point of fasting everything but liquids.

Even the number 40 has significance in the Bible. Not only is it the number of days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness, but it is a number repeated throughout the Old Testament. Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai meeting with the Lord, then spent 40 years in the Sinai Desert with the Israelites. God made it rain on the earth for 40 days during Noah’s time. Elijah’s walk to Mt. Horeb took 40 days and 40 nights. It’s also the number of days God gave to Ninevah to repent of their sins. People even believe that Jesus spent 40 hours in the grave from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning.

This year, I made the decision to observe Lent. It may be the first time that I have, but I have recently had this urgency to do so. I want to invite you to going with me this season to observe it. I’m not going to ask you to give up food, or sugar, or alcohol, or any dietary “fast”.

I am going to invite you to give up something that all of us are accustomed to – Ignorance. We are all guilty of omitting from our minds many of the issues that are close to God’s heart. Jesus spent 40 days resisting the devil’s plans for His life and I want to spend the next 40 days resisting the devil’s plans for this world.

I am committing to spend only 15 minutes every day of Lent to researching and praying about issues such as Human Trafficking, HIV/AIDS, Orphans, Foster Children, the treatment of Widows, Poverty, Racism, and Violence and telling people about it. 15 minutes a day adds up to 10 hours over the course of 40 days. I firmly believe that with these 15 minutes a day, God can break our hearts for issue of injustice in the world, and use us to do something significant. I am hoping that this will create a hunger to know, learn and share even more.

There are so many evils that we have the power to do something about. Ignorance is our greatest enemy because it is so easy to be unaware of what is really going on, even in our own cities and countries. To help combat this ignorance, I am willing to send a copy of the 30 Days of Prayer for the Voiceless Booklet to each family that responds and commits to spending 15 minutes a day in research, prayer, and awareness.

When Jesus laid out His mission statement in Luke 4, He proclaimed that the Spirit of God was on Him to bring the Good News to the poor, proclaim that the captives will be released, the blind will see, the oppressed will go free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come. As followers of Christ, this is our mission too, and if you aren’t a follower of Christ, this is what being a Christian is truly about.

Give up Ignorance for Lent. If you would like to commit 15 minutes a day, either comment on the blog or email me at john.vicory@gmail.com and I will be in touch on where to research and how to get the copy of the 30 Days of Prayer for the Voiceless Booklet to you as quickly as possible.I have seen the way that people’s lives are transformed through the eye-opening experience going through this book can be. I don’t want you to miss out.

Lent starts in a week from today (next Wednesday), so let me know!

In Christ, who gave everything.

John Vicory

Videos!

A few years ago, a good friend of mine, Alex Fung and I went to St. Ameria’s for the first time. We were looking for a way to get involved in the community around us in Jinja, Uganda, but what we found changed our lives. We returned many times and helped establish a way for people across the world to be involved in the lives of these children who have been orphaned due to HIV, War, Violence, and the vicious cycle of poverty.
Recently, Alex sent me some of the video footage that he was able to capture on a couple of the visits. Here is a brief history of the orphanage, a personal story from Edith, one of the directors, and a video of the Echo Children’s Choir of St. Ameria’s. It is a song that has brought me to tears.

Next is a new video from the people at These Numbers Have Faces. I helped them out a very little bit about a year ago when I was in South Africa. I was deeply impacted by meeting Ace, Anda, and Michael. The work that These Numbers is doing there is powerful and effective. They are currently sopporting 3 students from the township of Gugulethu to go to school. Check out the video and see what they are up to! Here is their website as well. www.thesenumbers.com

Life without Brakes

“So what am I supposed to do again?” I asked my father for the third time. My car had been making a terrible noise for a couple of days. It is the sound of metal against metal… the kind of noise that told me there was a problem.

Before I left for YWAM, while I was still in college, my dad almost forced me to help him change the brakes of the 93’ Pontiac Transport SE (aka the spaceship or dustbuster). It was a project I figured I would never have to repeat.

A few days ago I decided that in order to get rid of this terrible screeching, I would have to change the brakes again… only this time, my dad wouldn’t be able to troubleshoot anything that could possibly go wrong. Even though he wasn’t there, I was confident that it would be a breeze. But within minutes, even before I took the first wheel off, I was talking to my dad on the phone, getting information, insight, and guidance. He walked me through each step, told me in detail about each of the parts and how they worked. We hung up and I put my hands to the limited and rusty tools I found in my uncle’s garage. Time passed, but before I knew it, I had my dad on the line again. Another problem, another piece of guidance, another word of encouragement. I did everything I was supposed to do but something still went wrong and I found myself sitting in 2 puddles of brake fluid. I changed the brake pads, but when I put the car in drive to test them out, my brake petal went straight to the floor without stopping the car.

I couldn’t understand what could have gone wrong. This minivan is part of my job, part of my connection; and it was broken. Another phone call to my father landed me with possibilities of all the problems, and worse, the expensive solutions. Frustrated and overwhelmed, I was stuck and it was getting late and starting to rain. I was supposed to be somewhere in Seattle at 9 the next morning. My only option was to replace the brake fluid and bleed the brakes; both of which I had no idea how to do. “You need to have the blakes bred” must have come out of my dad’s mouth a dozen times, but I was too frustrated to laugh – at the time.

After more coaching, a YouTube tutorial, and another trip to Schuck’s auto parts, my cousin and I got to work in the raid. We tried a DYI vacuum trick that looked (and worked) more like a bong from my early days. We ended up doing it the old fashioned way – my dad’s way. Seven and a half hours later, we took her for another spin, this time the brakes working quietly and efficiently. My father congratulated me on a job well done.

The next day, while I drove the beast of a van down the Maple Valley Highway I thought back to the previous day and came out with some insights on life and how I operate my life.

No matter how well I think I can do something of how effectively I think I can perform; no matter how confident I am, things tend to go wrong occasionally. I’m not always going to have my dad physically present to coach me on fixing cars or doing taxes. Errors are port of life, but they lead to growth. Even though I didn’t know that brakes could be bled, I learned how to do it and I had to learn fast. Mistakes have a way of forcing our heads up and our eyes open. We have the choice to face them and learn or to turn away from them in further ignorance. Problems break friendships, jobs, marriages, and projects, but they also have the ability enable us to grow as people, to learn and discover what may have been previously unknown and daunting.

I also thought of my relationship with my dad, which hasn’t always been very healthy. In the last few years it has grown and developed into a healthy relationship, but I realized that I called my dad when I needed something from him. We talk on occasion, but I must have spent 2 hours talking to him when the brakes went bad. The thing is, I could tell that he loved every minute that we spent on the phone. Not once did he say, “alright, I have to go”, or “why don’t we talk more often?” We had a connection over my problems. I knew that he had the answers, which is why I called him. Most times, I don’t call just to call, and that makes me sad.

What makes me more sad is that I do the same thing with my other Father. This is the one that created the sun and gives me life. This is the One that knew me and loved me before I was even born. Most of the time, I only talk to him when I need something, or when I have a problem. Lately, selfishly, I haven’t been calling simply to talk. When I call Him with my problems and issues, like my dad, He loves every minute of communicating with me. He loves the connection, the intimacy, if only for the moment. He hangs on every word and thinks about the conversation long after it has finished.

Love is not using someone for what it can give me, but it is the beauty of giving something away expecting nothing, and often not getting anything in return. I hope to be able to invest in my relationships with my dad, God, and those around me because I love them and value them. They are more than worth my time and energy. And with my dad and God especially, they are worth more than what I have been giving them and taking for myself. They are willing to give of themselves to me, but so often I have been unwilling to give of myself to them. It’s time for a change.